This recipe seems tastier with a nice mix of the red-purple salmonberries. (Flickr photo/Chris Corrigan)
Note: July is salmonberry season in Sitka. This post was originally published in 2012.
Caitlin Woolsey, daughter of KCAW news director Robert Woolsey, is a self-described berry addict. This is her twist on The Alaska Wild Berry Cookbook’s “Salmonberry Cream Pie.” A recent dinner guest (from a land with no salmonberries) took one bite and said, “This pie is mind-blowing!”
Pick 6 cups salmonberries, set four or five of the prettiest, plumpest berries aside.
Strain the juice from 2 cups of the berries, discard the seeds and skins.
Add enough water to the juice to make 1 1/2 cups liquid. Cook the juice with 3 tbsp cornstarch, ½ cup sugar, and dash salt. Stir continuously.
Put the other 4 cups of berries in a graham cracker crust (Caitlin likes to mix in animal crackers in the crust, to lighten it).
Pour the cooked liquid over the berries, and chill the pie in the fridge for several hours until it sets.
Topping: Stir some homemade fruit preserves into an entire large container of plain Greek yoghurt (24 oz), and spread it over the pie before serving.
Decorate the top of the pie with the four or five pretty berries you first set aside.
Note: This pie is usually served with a spoon. It doesn’t hold a pie shape on your plate – but it’s gone before anyone notices!
