Mile High Raspberry Pie

So much to do, so much to write about. But this, this pie, is urgent. Raspberry season is on and whether you are harvesting from your own garden or your roadside fruit stand, you need to whip up this pie today (because sadly, sniff sniff, you’ll need to freeze it 24 hours before you can indulge).

Darling Lisa, chef extraordinaire first tempted us with MHRP. Word to the wise: everything Lisa bakes/creates is fantastic. But when she sent me the recipe, I thought she must have left out a few ingredients. My sister had the same reaction when I relayed the recipe to her– “doesn’t it need cream of tartar or gelatin or something…?”

Nope. Just wash and drain 12 oz raspberries and put them in a mixing bowl with two egg whites (though I like to cheat and use three) and a cup of sugar.

And turn on that mixer for a good 15 minutes.

Now if you were a silly girl like Tracy and returned the Kitchen Aid mixer your hubby bought for Christmas because you didn’t “deserve it,” you’ll need to pull out the hand mixer. And your arms are going to get really, really tired.

At about 8 minutes in, you may get discouraged. This is a good time to visit the garden and pick a few tomatoes.

No, honestly, really, you should be finishing up the crust about now. Actually I make the crust first, but it just didn’t work for the flow of this post. Be smart: double the recipe and store one pie crust in the freezer for next time. Because there will be a next time.

1/2 cup ground pecans
1 cup flour
1/2 butter
1/4 cup brown sugar

Toast on a 9×13 pan at 325, then crumble into a 9 inch pie dish.

Alternatively— because enough people are allergic to or whiny about nuts– I use a graham cracker crust (and I’m going to offend the purists by saying these crusts are equally delicious).

16 whole graham crackers (crushed in the blender)
1/2 butter
1/4 brown sugar

Baked in 9 inch at 325 until it looks good (things like timers diminish my baking creativity).

Ah, that looks about right.

Don’t lick the beater yet. You’ll need it for whipping the cream. Transfer the pink fluff to the biggest bowl you own and pour 1 cup whipping cream into the mixing bowl. You don’t need to wash the bowl because the pink fluff won’t hurt your cream a bit. Much of my goal in cooking/baking revolves around using as few bowls as possible, but if you just love to do dishes, feel free.

Hurray! The cream is whipped. But you still don’t get to lick the beater. Rather use it to gently fold the cream into the pink fluff. Go gently. The more you mix your fluff will deflate and your dessert will become Kilometer High Raspberry Pie– which just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Pour into a chilled crust, cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Now you can lick the beater, and you’d better enjoy it, because you have a long, torturous wait until the pie has frozen to perfection (oh sure, you can get away with 12-18 hours, but don’t kid yourself and think 5-6 will do the trick).

And there it sits. A little slice of heaven. Words and photos can’t describe the absolute lusciousness. You may start with a small piece, but you’ll quickly learn to cut large wedges. It’s light and cold, tangy and sweet. Even this chocolate obsessed family agrees MHRP reigns supreme in the world of pies. Don’t be embarrassed when you lick your plate.

OK, go! By tomorrow morning you could be cutting a slice for breakfast.