Cook’s Notebook: Keep berries frozen until ready to use

Skippy Ducharme of Rathdrum, Idaho, was in a quandary. She has huckleberries. She wants to make a pie.

The catch? She wants to make the pie for a gathering later this month.

So, she wondered in a recent phone call to food editor Lorie Hutson, does she make the whole pie now and freeze it? Does she just freeze the berries? Could she make the filling now and freeze that?

So many questions. So we turned to the experts.

Ducharme plans to use the pie recipe from Hill’s Resort at Priest Lake, as published in the 1986 Spokane Community Centers Foundation cookbook “Spokane Cooks! Northwest.” It’s a single-crust pie, with an unbaked fruit filling. We put in a call to Hill’s and talked to Teri Hill, the resort’s second-generation co-owner.

Hill quickly rejected the frozen whole-pie approach. As the filling thaws, it’ll seep liquid into the crust, turning it to purple mush. If you can’t make a pie with fresh berries, frozen are your best bet, she said.

“Tell her the best way to do it is to freeze the berries on a cookie sheet then store them in bulk baggies,” Hill said. That way, you get nice individually frozen berries, rather than a big, congealed frozen block best tackled by an ice pick.

“And don’t wash them first,” Hill added. “They lose their firmness.”

Hill offered several tips for using frozen berries in the Hill’s recipe, which still is in use at the resort. Her first tip: “Keep them frozen until you’re ready to use them.”

Her second tip: Combine the heated berry mixture with the remaining frozen berries in a separate bowl. “They’ll defrost real quick,” Hill said. Then pour the berries into a prebaked pie crust and chill.

Her final tip: Use a bit more cornstarch. Not much more, but maybe 1/4 to 1/2 tablespoon more. As the frozen berries defrost, they’ll exude more juice than fresh ones, causing a looser structure to the filling. A little more cornstarch should stem the juice tide.

The Hill’s recipe is simple. Simmer some of the berries in water, add sugar and cornstarch. Cook until the syrup clears and turns ruby red, add lemon juice, then gently mix the warm, cooked berries with their uncooked counterparts right inside the pie shell. Chill and serve.

Fortunately for me, I had a quart of frozen huckleberries in the freezer, so I was able to put Hill’s suggestions to the test.

As the berry mixture simmered away, I put the rest of the frozen hucks in a strainer, ran a little bit of cold water over them and let them drain in the sink. When it came time to add the cornstarch, I upped the amount by 1/4 tablespoon. I dumped the frozen berries in a bowl – they plopped out in a lump – and added the hot mixture. I stirred gently, breaking up large clumps of frozen berries and being careful not to mash any.

I poured the whole mess into a pre-baked pie crust, and … heaven.

This huckleberry pie was not too sweet, not too tart. The berries held their firmness nicely. Be sure to give it a few hours in the refrigerator before cutting into it. My first slice, after about an hour chilling time, ran all over the place, and had me worried that I hadn’t used enough cornstarch. By the next morning, however, the filling was firm, the berries were juicy and the whole thing was delicious.

Who says you can’t have huckleberry pie for breakfast?

Huckleberry Pie

From Hill’s Resort, in “Spokane Cooks! Northwest” (Spokane Community Centers Foundation, 1986).

4 cups huckleberries, washed and drained

3/4 cup water

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon lemon juice, depending on sweetness of huckleberries

1 (9-inch) baked pastry shell

Simmer 1 cup of the berries with water for 3 to 4 minutes. Combine cornstarch and sugar and add to simmering fruit. Simmer slowly until syrup is thick and a clear ruby red, stirring constantly. When thickened, add lemon juice (amount depends on sweetness of huckleberries). Cool slightly.

Line the baked pastry shell with remaining 3 cups of huckleberries. Pour the slightly cooled glaze over the fresh berries. Mix very gently with a fork to coat.

Chill thoroughly. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Note: If using frozen berries, keep them frozen until you need them. Add additional cornstarch to berry mixture, as much as 1/4 to 1/2 tablespoon more. Mix the heated berries and the frozen berries together in a bowl, then pour them into the pie crust.

Yield: Serves 8