Fresh Raspberry Pie, Yummy!

Fresh raspberries bake up beautifully in this delicious pie. The crust recipe presented here is a good one, but certainly would not have to be used. I found that I had to gently work the crust  ingredients with my fingers to get them to combine completely, but do use a light touch so you don't toughen the crust. When the raspberries are combined they will break up some, but this process doesn't hurt the pie or its appearance at all. This is a very simple recipe using one of summers best fruits in a wonderful way. If your family loves raspberries as much as mine does, they will love this pie. Blessings...

Recipe:

Crust:
2 cups unbleached flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsps. ice water
1 tbsp. white vinegar

Filling:
1-1/3 cups sugar
2 tbsps. quick-cooking tapioca
2 tbsps. cornstarch
5 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed

Glaze:
1/2 - 1 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. sugar (I use sugar decorating crystals because they don't melt into the crust, but leave a beautiful crystal appearance on the crust)

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt; cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Combine egg, water and vinegar; stir into flour mixture to combine. You may need to gently work with your fingers until combined.
3. Divide the dough in half so that one ball is slightly larger than the other; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes or until easy to handle. This may take up to an hour, which is great since the fresh raspberries need to be washed.
4. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, tapioca and cornstarch.
5. Wash fresh raspberries, drain on paper toweling and place them in a large bowl. Stir the sugar mixture into the berries and let them sit for 15 minutes.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger ball of dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Transfer the dough to pie plate; trim the dough to about 1/2-inch over edge of plate. Add the raspberry filling.
7. Roll out the remaining dough to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in top. Brush with milk; sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Note: Cool pie completely so the filling will set. If you want to warm the pie for dessert, heat individual pieces for 15-20 seconds in the microwave, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and dig in!