Blackberry Slab Pie

Makes 12 servings

Blackberry season is a favorite time of year and luckily, it coincides with my birthday in July. My sister, Jeanette, always made a blackberry pie or cobbler. We’re particular about pies in our family, and hers were the best. She never measured when she baked, and she made the flakiest piecrust just by feel. Her husband, John, never liked seeing her pies go out of the house, but he always made a grudging exception if it was coming to me, and for that I am grateful. — Mike

• Piecrust
• 5 cups all-purpose flour (we use King Arthur), plus more for rolling
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup cold lard
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water
•  
• 8 pints blackberries
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• Sparkling sugar or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

For the piecrust: Put the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse to mix. Add the butter and lard and pulse gently until it resembles coarse crumbs. Be careful not to overmix. Sprinkle in the ice water, a tablespoon at a time, and pulse just until the mixture gathers into a dough.

Divide the pastry in half and shape into 2 balls, one a bit larger than the other. Flatten the balls into disks, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Stir together the blackberries, granulated sugar, flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Whisk the egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl to make an egg wash.

Preheat the oven to 425°, with a rack in the center. If you have a baking sheet larger than 13 x 9 inches, place it on the bottom rack; if not, line the bottom rack with aluminum foil. (This will catch any drips as the pie bakes.)

Lightly flour the work surface. Roll out the larger pastry disk to an 18-x-13-inch rectangle. The piecrust should be about ⅛ inch thick. Transfer to a 13-x-9-inch baking dish. Gently press the crust into the pan and up the sides; you may have to pleat it a little at the corners.

Roll the remaining pastry out to a circle that is 11 inches in diameter and cut it into ½-inch-wide strips.

Scrape the blackberry filling into the bottom crust and dot the surface with the butter cubes. Arrange the strips of dough in a pattern on top of the filling. Trim off the excess and crimp the edges. Brush the top and edges with the egg wash and sprinkle with sparkling sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375° and continue baking for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling. If the edges begin to get too brown, cover with strips of foil. Let the pie cool and set for at least 4 hours before serving.