Pie Crust

Cup of Yum
1. Stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the shortening and butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. It is only about 10 pulses with a food processor but a bit more work by hand. One trick to make the process a little easier is to freeze your butter beforehand, then grate it into the flour mixture before cutting it in with the pastry cutter if not using a food processor.
2. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. Using a fork, gently stir the water into the flour mixture, then repeat with the remaining water, adding only 2 tablespoons at a time, just until the dough starts to come together.
3. Divide the dough into two even pieces. Turn each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then allow the chilled dough to sit on the counter to soften slightly for 10 minutes before rolling out.

Filling & Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Roll out the bottom crust on a lightly floured surface. Gently line a pie plate with the bottom crust and brush with part of the egg wash before adding blackberry filling.
3. In a large bowl, add blackberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice and gently toss to combine. If using frozen black berries, see notes about how to deal with the blackberry juice. Pour filling into the prepared pie crust.
4. Roll out the top pie crust and cut a circular hole in the center with a small biscuit or cookie cutter. Gently lay the crust on top of the blackberry filling. Trim the edges of the pie dough with a knife and crimp it in a decorative pattern using a fork. If desired, you could do a lattice crust or other decorative top. Brush the top crust with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar.
5. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the filling is thick and bubbly and the crust is golden brown. If the edges of the crust begin to get too dark too soon, cover them with tin foil or use a pie guard so that they don't burn while the rest of the pie continues to bake.
6. When the pie is done, remove it from the oven and allow the pie to cool for at least 2-3 hours before serving so the filling can continue to set up.
7. Once cooled, you can slice and serve your pie. To serve hot, simply reheat either the whole pie or individual slices in the oven or microwave.