'Not too sweet, not too tart' this Saskatoon berry pie is perfect

It may look like a good old fashioned blueberry pie, but this mouth watering dessert comes from an entirely different berry — the Saskatoon berry.

"It's not as sweet as blueberries," said Miranda Crookedneck.

She's the baker who made the pie from the delicious Saskatoon berries growing right in her backyard in Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan.

"The texture is a little rough, blueberries are softer," she said in an interview with CBC on Facebook Messenger.

If you want to get them when they are just right, they should be picked by mid-August, Crookeneck says.

"The berries ripen up right away," she added. And if they are picked too late in the season, they are too dry.

But perhaps the star of this delicious looking pie isn't the Saskatoon berry at all.

"It was important to me that my crust came out perfect, otherwise it would have been a waste... I have made pie so many times and was so disappointed when my crust came out not the way I wanted."

Crookedneck says a perfect crust makes a perfect pie. 

"For me it is important that my crust comes out a little soft and flaky," she said.

For that, there's one key ingredient.

"I have discovered it's the shortening."

Crookedneck said she incorporates the shortening with all the flour and then mixes until it's "all crumbly."

Here's the exact recipe she shared on CBC North's Facebook group, The Arctic Kitchen.

Ingredients

• 5 cups flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 ½ cup shortening
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 egg
• 2 cups Saskatoon berries
• ½ cup sugar

Preparation

Mix dry ingredients and shortening until it resembles quick oats.

Mix water and egg and mix with dry ingredients.

Form pie dough.

Mix Saskatoons with sugar and a tablespoon of flour. 

If you prefer more sweetness you can add more sugar.

Bake at 350 F until crust is golden brown.