Blackberry-Plum Pie

Step 1: To make the crust: in a bowl combine the dry ingredients (flour - salt) and then with two knives or a pastry cutter cut in the butter and shortening until it resembles sand (***you can use a food processor for this step if desired).

Step 2: Drizzle half of the water over the flour mixture and using a fork work the dough into clumps until it forms a dough and then drizzle the remaining water until the dough comes together. Shape dough into a ball.

Step 3: On a board flatten the dough into a 1/2 inch disk and then fold it over itself. Flatten and fold 4 more times to form layers. Divide into 2 equal pieces and shape each half into a disk and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Pull the dough from the refrigerator 15 minutes before you plan to roll it out.

Step 4: To make the filling: in a bowl combine fruit, sugar, vanilla and salt and let stand for 30 minutes; strain off the juices and sprinkle the fruit with cornstarch, mixing in well.

Step 5: To assemble the pie: preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch pie dish. Dust board with flour and roll one half of the pie dough into a 15 inch circle. Lift the crust and put it in the pie dish, leave the overhand intact. Pour the fruit mixture into the crust and press it down to fill the dish evenly.

Step 6: Roll the second half of the crust into a rectangle about 6 x 14 inches and using a knife cut the rectangle into long 1/2 inch wide strips. Place one strip across the center of the pie. Leaving an equal distance between each strip, lay one strip on either side of, and parallel to, the first (the one in the middle). Working in the opposite direction, weave the remaining strips of dough perpendicularly over and under to create a lattice. Trim the ends of he lattice strips to the same size as the bottom crust, then fold the bottom layer up and over the loose strips. Crimp the edges between 2 fingers and your thumb. Chill the pie in the freezer for 15 minutes or until the dough is firm.

Step 7: Bake pie in the preheated oven for 20 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the pie is bubbly and crust is golden. Let pie cool completely (2 hours) before serving.