Do you ever really need a reason to bake a pie?

I sat here, dreaming of pie baking moments and extravaganzas.
Perhaps it’s the warmer weather, the anticipation of the summer berry crop, or perhaps it’s no because at all.

I don’t need a reason to bake ~ in fact, I don’t need a reason to do anything at all!

I choose to bake.
I choose to live my life the way I do.
I choose to love my life the way I do.
And today, I choose Blackberry Sage Pie.

And, I choose to deliver that freshly baked pie right on the door step of my best friend Valerie, at MyKitchenCoop.

What do you choose?

Oh, and by the way, the sweet sensation of luscious, juicy blackberries combined with the herbal essence and aromatics of fresh sage creates a sweet and savory reflection of heaven to tickle all your faculties!

Blackberry Sage Pie

Sage Piecrust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 cup (2 sticks) ICE COLD butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. sugar
6 – 8 Tbs. ice water
2 Tbs. fresh sage leaves

Add the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix. Add half of the butter to the food processor and pulse several times. Add the rest of the butter and the sage leaves and pulse 6 to 8 times until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of large peas. Sprinkle the mixture with about 1/4 cup of ice water (make sure there are no ice cubes in the water!) and pulse again. Then add more ice water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing once or twice after each addition until the dough just barely begins to hold together.

Be cautious with the amount of water you add, too much and the crust will be tough. You want it to be crumbly, at this point.

Carefully empty the crumbly dough mixture from the food processor on to a clean, dry, flat surface. Gather the mixture in a mound. At this point, if you want, you can do what the French call fraisage: push down with the palm of your hand on the dough crumbles a few times. This will help flatten the pieces of butter into layers which will help your crust be flaky.

Divide the dough mixture into two even-sized mounds. Use your hands to form each one into a disk. Do not over-knead! Kneading develops gluten which will toughen the dough, not something you want in a pastry crust.

Sprinkle each disk with a little flour, wrap each one in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one hour or up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.

Add the Blackberry Sage Filling to the pie.

Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Cut out circles, squares, or any other small shapes, if desired. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie and decorate as your heart desires. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork. If you decide not to use cut outs on the top crust, score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape.

Bake for 40 minutes or so…until the top crust starts to turn golden brown.

Allow to cool for at least 4 hours to set, before slicing.

Blackberry Sage Filling:
10 oz. fresh or frozen blackberries
1/2 cup Quick Blackberry Jam
2 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. fresh sage leaves, chopped

Toss all ingredients together until well combined and no flour or sugar remains visible.

Serve as giant slices on their own, or a al mode, with vanilla or coconut ice cream!