Dad's Berry Pie

You're either a cake person, a cookie person, or a pie person. My husband is cake, I am cookie, my dad is pie. For dad, Christmas means mincemeat, fall calls for apple, spring may require strawberry-rhubarb and summer signals oozing berry pie a la mode. Raised on my grandma Mary's lovingly made baked goods, my dad knows good pie - though he'll tell you he's "never met a dessert he didn't like." Over the years, I have delighted in baking for him and planned to make this berry pie while they were visiting last week; it was a hit when we made it at my parents' house last summer. I bought a ton of berries and had my rolling pin ready, but we were busy having fun in the sun, and I never got the chance. With berries waiting, I knew I'd need to set aside some time to bake. I've made a few berry pies, but this one is definitely the best. It's not overly sweet (I reduce the sugar in the filling to 3/4 cup and add more lemon juice) and the tartness of the berries really shines through. The crust is crisp, flaky and buttery, the texture is gooey and cobbler-like and I prefer its almond streusel topping to the usual lattice. We hate to eat it without my dad, but we'll count this one as a practice attempt for the berry pie I'll make for him in August. Dad's Berry Pie was an ideal accompaniment to a Monday evening snuggled on the couch with a big glass of milk, and tasted even better for breakfast this morning.

{berries and zest}

{almost ready to bake}