Blackberry Cream Pie with Brown Butter Crust

Summer is almost over and that means the sweet and tender brunette is about to have her swansong for the year. Blackberries are my favorite fruit: when they’re perfectly ripe, nothing can compare to the complex sweet, floral, tart, and deeply comforting flavor they so generously share with us during the fleeting summer months. Luckily, this blackberry cream pie can be made with fresh *or* frozen blackberries, so if you’re craving a summer cream pie in the dead of winter, feel free to use some frozen blackberries to quell your cravings.

In this regard, if you eat blackberries out of season (i.e. outside of summer), it is better to buy them frozen than fresh. Frozen blackberries are picked at peak natural ripeness and frozen soon after (which means they have a very nice sweet flavor), while fresh out-of-season berries are picked unripe so they can be shipped while they are quite hard, which means which have a pleasant flavour. miserable. So frozen fruits and vegetables can definitely be your friend in terms of flavor, especially when compared to their out-of-season “fresh” counterparts.

As for the nitty-gritty of what’s inside this blackberry cream pie, I picked some blackberries from the farm and cooked them into a jam filling. Then I took a small piece of that filling and added it to a whipped cream/mascarpone/honey/vanilla mixture to create a creamy, fluffy topping for the cake. And the crust is made with brown butter mixed with graham cracker crumbs and finely chopped pistachios (yes, I know). I am an evil genius.) Overall it’s a delicious, summery pie, perfect for sharing with friends and family on an outdoor picnic table while the evenings are still nice and dry.

And I took these images as part of my Passion project Adobe Lightroomand I published Part I here of a 3-part series that I will share on Instagram. It focuses on wild table recipes and I will have an elderberry recipe on the docket soon too! A huge thank you to Lightroom for helping support visual artists and creatives like me, so we can continue to create and share art for a living. And if you are looking for some tastier recipes to make with the last berries of summer, you can try this honey and rosemary cake with blackberry butter cream! Talk to you soon, my friends 🙂

Blackberry Cream Pie with Brown Butter Graham Cracker Crust

This blackberry cream pie has a layer of blackberry jam topped with blackberry mascarpone whipped cream in a pistachio brown butter crust.

Total time 3 hours 50 minutes

Stuffed with blackberries

1 1/2
lbs
more
fresh or frozen
1/4
cup
granulated sugar
2
spoons
corn starch
2
spoons
freshly squeezed lime juice
2
teaspoons
vanilla extract
1/2
teaspoon
powdered gelatin or pectin
Pinch
of salt

Blackberry whipped cream

1 1/2
cups
mascarpone
1 1/2
cups
whipping cream
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract
1/4
cup
powdered sugar
2
spoons
Honey
3
spoons
reserved blackberry filling

Pistachio brown butter graham cracker crust

7
spoons
unsalted butter
1
table spoon
Honey
11
Graham crackers
about 1/12 cup crumbs
1/4
cup
shelled pistachios
2
spoons
granulated sugar
1/4
teaspoon
salt

Gasket (optional)

2
spoons
chopped pistachios
2
spoons of honey
1/2
cup
fresh or frozen blackberries

Stuffed with blackberries

Bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the blackberries have softened and the mixture has thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Reserve 3 tablespoons of the blackberry filling liquid and set aside.

Blackberry whipped cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the mascarpone, whipping cream, and vanilla on medium speed until it thickens and holds a peak, about 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, add sugar and honey, and mix until *just* incorporated (be careful NOT to overmix). Add the reserved 3 tablespoons of blackberry filling and gently fold into the mixture with a rubber spatula.

Pistachio brown butter graham cracker crust

When making browned butter, it’s best to use a stainless steel pan so you can see the butter change in color. Heat butter in a large, shallow pan over medium heat until melted. Swirl the pan slightly every couple of minutes to help it cook evenly. Over the course of a few minutes, you’ll notice the foam at the top of the butter begin to change from light yellow to dark brown. Once it reaches the dark tan stage and the butter appears light brown and golden, smell it. It should smell nutty and caramel-like. Remove from the heat, add the honey and set aside to cool or warm.
Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, pulverize the graham crackers and pistachios until they form fine crumbs but NOT a paste. They should be dry and crumbly. Combine the brown butter mixture and graham cracker mixture in a bowl with the sugar and salt and mix until smooth. Then press into a 10-inch pie pan to form the crust.

Assembly

Empty the blackberry filling into the crust and spread it evenly. Then add the blackberry whipped cream mixture on top of the blackberry filling and spread it out with a rubber spatula to cover the filling (you can use the back of a spoon to make fun swirls on top, if you want). Garnish with chopped pistachios, honey and blackberries and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving. It will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator in an airtight container, but keep in mind that the crust will soften the longer it sits.

Nutrition Facts

Blackberry Cream Pie with Brown Butter Graham Cracker Crust

Quantity per serving

Calories 448
Calories from fat 297

% daily value*

Fat 33 g51%

Saturated fat 19 g119%

Trans fat 0.3 g

Polyunsaturated fats 1g

Monounsaturated fats 6g

Cholesterol 79mg26%

Sodium 159 mg7%