I love summer in the Pacific Northwest: beer gardens, picnics at the lake, gorgeous sunsets, and, more than anything, the berries: blueberries, huckleberries, blackberries, tayberries, strawberries, raspberries, marionberries. Today we’re cooking with gooseberries!

Most of the gooseberry recipes I find are from British cooking blogs. Last year I tried to make a blackberry-gooseberry recipe, but it was underwhelming, and I had to wait a year for gooseberries to come back into season! If you live in the PNW, I’ve bought gooseberries at the Broadway Farmer’s Market and at QFC from Richters/Sterino, but the gooseberry season is fairly brief–late July, as far as buying in Seattle is concerned.

If you’re a fan of the sweet-tartness of strawberry-rhubarb, you’ll love this. The strawberries and gooseberries are cooked down and drained rather than mixed with cornstarch or flour; the pie is firm and not runny or overly juicy.

Equipment

• 8-in or 9-in pie pan
• pastry cutter or food processor (for dough)
• knife or pizza roller to make the lattice
• pastry brush (for the egg wash)
• large bowl
• large/wide pan
• strainer or colander

Crust

Do yourself a favor and make this all-butter crust from Smitten Kitchen. I did this with a pastry cutter, but I’ve also used a food processor with good results. This recipe is enough for a bottom and top layer; I did not pre-bake the bottom crust. I also used an egg wash.

Filling

Adapted from BBC Goodfood’s “Patchwork strawberry & gooseberry pie”

Ingredients

• 500 g (17.6 oz/~2.25 cups) ripe strawberries, halved, or quartered if large
• ~450 g (16 oz/1 pint vol.) red (or green) gooseberries, washed with the “tops and tails” snipped off with kitchen scissors
• 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar, plus extra 1 TBSP for sprinkling on the pie crust
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 TBSP ground almonds or semolina
• (any pie topping you like)

Procedure

1. Start the pie dough recipe. While the dough is chilling, make the filling.
2. Put the berries, cinnamon, and sugar in a wide pan; cook for 5 minutes until syrupy and the gooseberries are soft but not bursting. Drain well in a colander over a bowl (save the syrup as a topping or for other desserts) and leave to cool.
3. When the dough is ready, heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Grease the pie pan, and roll out the bottom crust. Sprinkle the semolina or almonds over the bottom crust. Add the fruit mixture.
4. Roll out the top crust; I made a lattice. Brush with egg wash, then sprinkle with remaining sugar.
5. Wrap the edge of the pie with a collar of foil or use a pie crust shield to protect it from burning.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden and the fruit filling is bubbling.
7. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or some of the reserved syrup and cream.