Very Berry Custard Pie--YUM!

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a bag of frozen organic mixed berries at Whole Foods because I thought mixed berry something sounded kinda good.  I saw them sitting in my freezer, just waiting for me to do something with them, and I thought, mmmm mixed berries on top of vanilla pastry cream in a pie shell.  Oh, and top it with Creme Chantilly (vanilla whipped cream).

Yum Yum--This pie was fantastic!

The only thing I would change for next time is the crust.  Don't get me wrong--the pie was pretty amazing with a regular pie dough crust.  But I think it would have been even more amazing with a graham cracker or vanilla wafer crust--that would have added just a little more dimension.  Here's the recipe:

1 pie crust, baked
1x recipe pastry cream
1 lb bag of frozen mixed berries, thawed (with the juice)
1-3 Tbsp sugar (depending on how sweet you want it, I used 1Tbsp)
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1x recipe Creme Chantilly
extra whipping cream to thin custard, if desired.

 Bake the crust and cool completely.  If you're using pie dough, make sure you dock (stab the dough with a fork in several places to allow air flow) the crust and fill the crust with pie weights (dry beans work really well). Make your pastry cream and chill.  Strain the juice from the berries into a saucepan.  Add the sugar and cornstarch and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil one minute (the mixture will be very thick) then add the berries and spices, mixing well.  Transfer to a shallow pan or bowl and cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper (tight to the mixture to prevent a skin from forming).  Refrigerate until chilled through.  While the custard and the berry mix are chilling, make the Creme Chantilly. 
To assemble:
Whip the custard until smooth (if it's thicker than you want, add just a little whipping cream and whip).  Fill the pie shell with custard.  Spread the berry mixture onto the custard.  Top with Creme Chantilly (you can either pipe it on with a large star tip or just spread it over the top).

A few tips...
Dock the crust before baking to prevent bubbles and use pie weights (they'll help control shrinkage).
Carefully follow the recipe for the pastry cream.  Make sure you stir the custard constantly when you return it to the heat--it's very easy to overcook the custard if you don't stir it.  If you overcook it, your custard will take on a very egg-y taste.
Whip the cooled custard until perfectly smooth before filling the pie shell (I was lazy and used my electric mixer with the whip attachment). 

I really enjoyed this pie.  The tartness of the berries really complemented the sweetness of the custard.  It was everything I expected when I dreamed up this concoction (even though I think the graham cracker or vanilla wafer crust would be even better).  I highly recommend trying this pie!

Well, I need to wake someone up from his nap soon...
So long for now and stay obsessed with sweets!