Tasty Tuesday Lumba Berry Pie

Lumba Berry Pie

Finding a recipe to match Brandon Mull's books are always a delight. His characters encounter strange and exotic foods on their journeys. In A World Without Heroes (Beyonder #1), Jason encounters lumba berry pie--a delicacy that is so addicting that the diner will never want to eat anything again. The only problem is, lumba berries have no nutritional value and causes the addicted eater to starve to death.

If you don't have access to the land of Lyrian, you can substitute a berry of your choice in these fun mini pies. Note: this crust can be stuffed with any combination of fillings. Try pizza ingredients, empanadas, chicken pot pie, etc.

Crust:

8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Mix the butter, cream cheese and cream to combine. Add the flour and salt. Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refridgerate at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the fruit filling (see below).
Preheat oven to 375°. Roll out the dough very thin. Using an upturned bowl cut out discs about 5 inches in diameter. Put 1/4 cup of filling in the center of the disc. Using a finger, paint the edges with the egg white mixture, fold disc over the filling and press the edges down. Seal the edges with the tines of a fork.  Puncture the pie with a fork two times. Brush the tops of the pastry with the remaining egg white mixture. Sprinkle with a little sugar if desired. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Lumba berry filling:

3 cups berries, fresh or frozen (I used boysenberries)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbs. cornstarch
1⁄4 tsp. salt
1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Place the berries in a large bowl, sprinkle with the lemon juice and toss to coat evenly. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the berries and toss to distribute evenly.