Blackberry Cream Cheese Pie

With fresh blackberries in a tasty sauce on top of a creamy cheesecake layer in a flaky crust, this pie is to die for.

Ingredients:

- pastry for a single-crust 9-inch pie (frozen deep dish crust is fine)
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup pineapple-orange juice
- 2 cups fresh blackberries and/or raspberries, divided (strawberry rhubarb also works just ok)

Directions:

If using homemade pie crust, line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry. Trim and flute the edges. Line the pastry shell with a double thickness of aluminum foil, then bake as follows.

If using a frozen pie crust, thaw as directed on the package, cover the edges with aluminum foil, then bake as follows.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove foil and bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Fold in the whipped cream. Transfer to the pastry shell; spread evenly, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in the juice until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from heat.

Mash 1/2 cup berries; stir into juice mixture. Cool for 10 minutes, stirring several times. Fold in the remaining berries. (If it's still really hot, I would put it in the bowl the cream cheese was in and then freezer for say 20-30 minutes, you don't want it locking in a ton of heat on top of the cream cheese, for food safety. I put a hot strawberry rhubarb topping on one of these and then put the whole thing in the freezer for 45 minutes, then fridge for 2 hours and was still only starting to get cool.) 

Spoon evenly over the cream cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.