Triple Berry Thyme Crumble Pie

How we make it.

9 inch pre made pie crust
3 cups blackberries
1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup raspberries
1/3 cup turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, stripped

Crumble

3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, diced cold
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cook a pre made pie shell halfway through package instructions. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl combine berries. sugar, corn starch, lemon and thyme leaves, stirring gently to combine. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine flour, oats, walnuts, dark brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt and thyme leaves. Crumble together with your fingers until combined into a crumbly, sandy, chunky mixture. 

Pour berries into pie shell and top with crumble. Cook for 45-50 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes minimum before slicing and serving.

Why we make it.

I really, really love fruit pies. I love fruit crumbles. I love fruit crisps. I think cobblers stink, but I adore the rest of the fruit dessert catalogue. There's something marvelous about tart, juicy fruit lightly sweetened, brightened with lemon and topped with something buttery and crisp. Usually, I'd let Whole Foods do the work for me, but a friend dropped by a bucket of berries he grew on his farm, and I just cannot resist the whimsy of turning that into a pie. This triple berry pie is an elevated hybrid. Pie bottom, crumble top to give me the best of both worlds, refined for the adult palate with chopped walnuts and fresh thyme. If I'm going to make a pie myself, I'm going to put some spins on it that Whole Foods doesn't or else why bother? I'm no habitual baker but this special little pie served with some near room temperature vanilla ice cream after dinner is guaranteed to land the plane. That's why we make it.