My mom found this recipe years ago in some Americana craft magazine.  It’s become one of my family’s favorites on a hot day, and I can’t help but make it as often as possible for friends. Chocolate base with a hint of orange and fresh berries on top.  So amazin’.

Red, White and Blueberry Pie

Ingredients:

Pastry for Single-Crust Pie:
·    1 1/4 cup flour
·    1/4 tsp salt
·    1/3 cup shortening
·    1 Tb cold water
·    3-4 more Tb cold water

Filling:
·    6 oz. (1 Cup) semisweet chocolate pieces
·    1 Tb margarine
·    8 oz cream cheese, softened
·     2 Tb freshly squeezed orange juice (squeeze after you’ve grated the rind)
·    1/4 c. powdered sugar
·    1 qt. fresh strawberries with stems removed.
·    1 cup fresh blueberries or raspberries
·    2 Tb red currant jelly *(opt.)

Whipped Cream:
·    1/2 cup whipping cream
·    2 Tb powdered sugar
·    1/2 tsp finely shredded orange peel

Directions:
For Crust:
Stir flour and salt together.  Cut shortening into flour mixture with pastry blender or two knives until pieces are pea-sized.  Sprinkle 2 Tb water over mixture; gently toss with fork.  Keep adding water 1 Tb at a time until mixture is moistened. Form dough into a ball. Don’t handle it any more than necessary. On a floured surface, roll dough into 12″ circle. Fold into fourths. Put in pie plate and unfold. Trim edges 1/2″ beyond plate. Fold under and crimp edge. Prick bottom and sides of dough with a fork. Line with a double thickness of foil. Bake in 450 oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 5 more minutes or until golden brown.

Filling:
In saucepan, combine margarine and chocolate and heat over medium-low heat until melted.  Add cream cheese to chocolate mixture and stir.  Add orange juice to chocolate mixture and stir (heat should still be on).  Turn off heat and stir powdered sugar into mixture.  Spread that mixture in baked pastry shell.  Arrange all strawberries stem side down on top of chocolate mixture.  Fill in gaps with blueberries. Melt jelly and brush over berries. Cover, chill for 4 hours.

Whipped Cream:
Beat all ingredients together in chilled bowl with chilled beaters until soft peaks form. Spoon or pipe into center of pie.