Crust? Who needs crust? This crowberry pie is delectable on its own

The smell of summer's end may be in the air, but there's still time to get out in the dwindling daylight hours to scoop up some northern fruit.

'Tis the season for picking berries and, by extension, baking berry pies!

That's what Vivi Alves, who lives in Kugluktuk, Nunavut, has been doing.

She crafted this delectable-looking, crustless crowberry pie.

And it seems to be a hit on social media.

"Delivery please," Jenna Kamingoak wrote in CBC North's Arctic Kitchen Facebook group. "[Looks] soooo good!"

"I can confirm it's good," wrote another user, Olivier FB. "[Come] grab a slice in the morning!"

Alves says she first made this delectable dessert last year, but with cranberries.

"Decided to try using crowberries since they were more abundant this year," she says.

Crowberries look similar to blueberries, but are black with seeds that make them feel gritty. They are commonly found in the subarctic, growing on low-lying evergreen shrubs, and are known to have an acidic taste.

Alves says the berries are quite tart, "but baking them releases a nice sweet flavour."

While she picked up the base recipe for crustless pie from a cookbook a few years ago, she's been fine-tuning it ever since, adding less sugar, and more berries and nuts.  

Alves says she's been picking blueberries, crowberries, cranberries and cloudberries for the last three summers since she moved to Kugluktuk.

"But this season has been the best," she says.

Want to test this treat out yourself? 

First, you'll need to gather these ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour.
• 1 cup cane sugar.
• ¼ teaspoon salt.
• 2 pints crowberries. 
• ½ cup chopped walnuts. 
• ½ cup chopped almonds. 
• ½ cup melted butter. 
• 2 eggs.
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract.
• 1 teaspoon almond extract.

To make the pie, Alves says, grease a 12-inch cast iron skillet with coconut oil and set the oven to 350 degrees.

Then, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir in the berries and the nuts. Stir in the butter, beaten eggs, and the vanilla and almond extracts.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes and let cool for a few minutes. Enjoy with vanilla ice cream!

• You can find more Arctic Kitchen recipes here 

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