Mother’s Day is next month, and I was trying to come up with a motherly theme for a pie crust. If my daughter was making this for me, she’d probably put a wine glass on the crust…but I went with a more traditional garden theme. Figured it was a little more classy.

Playing with dough is my favorite thing to do. The pie crust recipe I use is SO forgiving. You can re-roll it, form little shapes with your fingers, let it stand at room temperature (within reason), and abuse it thoroughly….and it stays flaky. Good stuff!

I will admit that the details on the crust took me a while, so the crust got a little too warm. If I’d thought to chill the pie for a little bit before baking it, the pretty fluted edges would probably have stayed perky, instead of bailing on me. Meh.

If you’d like a similar idea that is less work, here’s a pie I made with just a trellis on it. I made little flowers using gum paste cutters, but you could create them with a sharp knife too.

Use whatever combination of berries you have, fresh or frozen. (Don’t use frozen berries packed in juice or sauce, though!) I had lots of frozen raspberries, maybe a cup of sliced strawberries, and a two cups of frozen blueberries. The combination of flavors is amazing!

I like to use instant tapioca as a thickener. It’s clear, tasteless, and never fails me. I grind mine in a clean coffee grinder to avoid chewy spots in the pie. The recipe below has enough dough for a normal two-crust pie. If you plan on adding decorations, double the recipe. (Any extra can be baked and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar…mmmmmm.) I often double the recipe anyhow, since I like a fairly thick crust and find it a lot more manageable than paper-thin pastry. I’m also fairly casual about discarding decorations that don’t please me, so a generous amount of dough is a good thing in my kitchen.

Ready to make some pie? I’ll show you how to make a Triple Berry Pie, then add photos of the decorations, if you’re interested.

Roll between parchment. See how smooth it is when you pull the paper back?

Cut first crust at least 1 inch larger than the pie pan

Slide a flat baking sheet under parchment. Center upside down pie pan on dough.

With one hand under baking sheet and one on the pie pan (don’t press too hard)…flip!

Without stretching, ease dough into pan.

Add filling

Cut top crust a little bigger than the pie pan. Lift with rolling pin and place over filling. Crimp edges and bake.

AND NOW…

If you’re in the mood to play with pie crust, here are a few photos of the construction of the garden crust. Press each piece of dough down lightly as you work. You don’t need liquid – they’ll pretty much stay put. Well, except for the fence rails. I kept bumping the darn things.

Also, don’t get too close to the edge. In retrospect, I should have given myself a little more space for fluting the edge of the pie.

Set your top crust on a generously floured baking sheet or piece of parchment. You will need to slide it off onto the pie when it’s finished. If it gets too soft and warm and won’t slide, pop it in the freezer for a couple of minutes and try again, or if you’re coordinated, slip your hands underneath the crust and move it quickly.

Make the fence. Cut a strip, divide it into “slats”, and trim each to a point.

Birdbath: I cut a shapely pedestal, then two identical ovals.

Lay one oval down, cut center out of second oval, and lay the “rim” over the oval to give it depth.

I added a bird, made by pressing and shaping the dough like clay. Mine may look more like a small turkey…hopefully you have more artistic skills!

I added an arbor, then some thin pieces of dough for vines, and little leaves.

A toothpick is your friend. It will make a nice crease in the leaves, and help place them.

At this point, I stopped taking photos while I struggled with the teeny tiny roses. I finally just took narrow strips of thin dough about an inch long and rolled them up. Good enough!

Add details. A tree on the right, a birdhouse, then I added some clouds in the upper left (use your thumb to press all over so they aren’t flat)

Use a thin spatula or knife to chop up some grass. It looks best if you place it in little “bunches”.

Make little balls of dough and then press down with fingers to flatten them.

Lay top crust on filling. Pinch layers together and flute the edges.

Ready for the oven

I know it will hurt to actually take a knife and STAB your masterpiece, but remember: there’s no crying in pie art! It’s just a beginning – there will be many more dough canvases in your future. Think of all the scenic pies you can make for holidays throughout the year.

Have fun with this!

Lorinda