Saskatoon berry pie

A dish many Alberta families still make is Saskatoon berry pie. It is a simple fruit pie. The berries grow wild on the prairie and in the foothills. People pick them in summer and freeze them for the rest of the year.

What you need

• 4 cups Saskatoon berries, fresh or frozen

• 1 cup sugar

• 3 tablespoons flour

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• A pinch of salt

• Pastry for a double crust, homemade or store-bought

• 1 tablespoon butter

  

How to make it

• Mix the berries with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Let the mixture sit for ten minutes so the juices start to flow.

  

• Line a pie dish with half the pastry.

  

• Pour the berry mixture into the shell.

  

• Dot the top with the butter.

• Cover with the second piece of pastry. Seal the edges and cut a few slits in the top.

• Bake at 200 °C (400 °F) for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 180 °C (350 °F) and bake another 35 to 40 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling bubbles.

• Cool the pie before cutting so the filling sets.

  

How it is served

• It is dessert after a roast or stew.

• A scoop of ice cream or a spoon of whipped cream goes on the side.

• Leftovers are eaten cold the next day with coffee.

• Families take it to community dinners and potlucks.