Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Gooseberry Pie

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Gooseberry Pie

Gooseberry pie? Hurray! She stays!

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, 1937

I first heard of gooseberry pie from the movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I had no clue what gooseberries were but I finally found them at a local market a few weeks ago. They called them golden berries and it was incredibly expensive! Half a pint was about $8 and you need at least 4 cups to make a standard pie. So, I would suggest waiting for a special occasion to make this pie!

It’s my understanding that there are a few varieties of gooseberries. Some are red and sweet and some are yellow/green and quite tart. I was only able to find the Cape Gooseberries and I thought it tasted great. I would strongly suggest you tasting the gooseberries before baking to determine how much sugar you need. As you can see from the recipe, there isn’t much to this pie and it honestly didn’t need much. The berries are tart and sweet and they’re perfect just lightly sweetened with a bit of sugar.

The design of the pie is quite simply. I crimped the edges with a fork and cut slits to mimic the scene in the movie. The birds also took the scrape pieces of dough to write, ‘Grumpy” on top. I attempted to do the same but trying to recreate small details is difficult with dough because you need to roll it quite thin. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Gooseberry Pie

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Gooseberry Pie

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Gooseberry Pie

Feast of Starlight

A recipe for gooseberry pie inspired by the movie, Star Wars and the Seven Dwarfs by Disney.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Servings 6 -8

Ingredients

  

• | PIE DOUGH |
• 2 cups / 9oz / 255g - all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp - salt
• 3/4 cup / 170g/ 6oz- unsalted butter cold, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup - ice cold water as needed
• | FILLING |
• 2 tbsp - unsalted butter
• 5 cups / 32oz / 900g - gooseberries I used Cape Gooseberries, rinsed
• 1/2 cup - granulated sugar or to taste
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 - egg large, for egg wash

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Combine the flour, salt, and cold butter in a bowl and start to flatten and work the butter into the flour until the butter gets to the size of hazelnuts. Add just enough water to hold the dough together when squeezed in your hand. Split the dough in half and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• In a saucepan, add the butter and heat until melted over medium heat. Add the gooseberries, sugar, and lemon zest. Cook for 10-15 minutes until some of the berries burst and the liquids thicken. If the berries are having a hard time bursting just smash a few with the back of a spoon. Let cool. If the liquid from the berries seem too thin, thicken it will a tsp of flour. I found that I didn't need to use it with my variety of gooseberry.
• Meanwhile, roll one portion of the pie dough into a circle (about 1/8" thick). Place the dough into a lightly greased 9" pie pan. Gently press the edges into the pan. Prick a few holes with a fork to prevent the dough from bubbly in the oven.
• Cover the dough with a sheet of parchment filled with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove the baking beans and let cool. Meanwhile, roll the second portion of pie dough into a circle and refrigerate until needed.
• Pour the cooked gooseberries into the prepared pie crust. Cover with the second pie round and press the edges in to seal the crust. You can either use a fork or your fingers to design the edges.
• Cut 6 slits on the top of ventilation. You can use the dough scraps to write "Grumpy" on the top of pie like Snow White does in the movie. This is quite difficult but worth a try!
• Brush with egg wash and bake for 25-30 minutes until it is golden brown.