Here is a regionally inspired recipe for wild berry pie. You can think of it as a huckleberry pie with greater fruit variety and an acorn flour crust. I call
it “Erica” pie because Salal and the various huckleberries and blueberries are all in the Heath
family, which is known to botanists as Ericaceae.
Acorn Crust (top
and bottom for 9” pie)
1.5 cups acorn flour
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup ice cold water
“Erica” Filling
1 cup Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
1 cup Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium)
1 cup Black Huckleberry
(V. membranaceum)
1 cup Evergreen
Huckleberry (V. ovatum)
1 cup Cascade Blueberry
(V. deliciosum)
1/2 cup acorn flour
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Pinch of salt
Blend acorn flour,
all-purpose flour, and salt together and then mix in the coconut oil (or butter)
with a pastry knife. Add 1/3 cup water and mix briefly, and then slowly add the
additional 1/3 cup water while mixing slowly and deliberately. Stop adding
water as soon as all the dough can be clumped into one large ball without falling apart. Cut the ball
in half and roll each half into a new ball. Then squish each into a flat disc, wrap
in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 to several hours. Roll the bottom crust out on
a piece of foil or parchment and place it in a pie pan, trimming the excess
with a knife and poking a few fork holes in the bottom of the crust. Mix the
berries, flour, syrup, oil, and salt for the filling, and pour into the
pie pan. Roll out the top crust and place over the fruit, pinching the top and the
bottom crusts together. Cut several slits in the top crust to allow hot air to
escape.
Bake the pie for 1 hour
at 350 degrees. Allow the pie to cool for another hour or two before serving.
