Dough
1½ cups cold water
¾ cup salted butter, cubed, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1½ teaspoon table salt
5½ cups all-purpose flour, divided, + more as needed

Filling for sweet pierogies
1 cup berries of your choice (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries can all be added whole; strawberries should be chopped into manageable pieces).

Filling for savoury pierogies
1 cup cottage cheese or mashed potatoes
½ cup cooked diced bacon, for sprinkling
½ cup shredded cheese, for sprinkling
½ cup caramelized onions, for sprinkling
¼ cup diced green onions, for sprinkling
¼ cup sour cream, for serving

Make the dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook or whisk attachment, mix the water, butter, eggs, and salt until the eggs are fully incorporated. You might see pieces of butter at this point.

Add 3 cups flour and mix on low speed. The butter will mix in when the flour is added.

Add the remaining 2½ cups flour and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. The dough should be soft. If it’s too sticky, add 1 tablespoon more flour at a time until you have a soft dough.

On a clean surface dusted with flour, roll the dough to an 1/8-inch thickness.

Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut out circles. With floured fingers, stretch out each piece of cut dough to make it a 4-inch round.

Fill the pierogies
For sweet pierogies: Place berries of your choosing (3 for whole berries, 5 to 6 for blueberries, and/or 1½ tablesoons chopped strawberries) in the middle of each circle of dough.

For savoury pierogies: Place approximately 2½ teaspoons of your filling of choice in the middle of each circle of dough.

Use a finger to spread a bit of water along the edge of half the circle before folding and pinching the edges together to make sure they are well sealed. (The water acts like glue.)

If you wish to cook the fresh pierogies now, follow the in- structions below. If you want to freeze them, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and transfer to the freezer. When they’re completely frozen, package them in freezer bags and return to the freezer for up to 6 months. Follow step 3 below to cook them.

Cook the pierogies
For fresh sweet pierogies: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop the pierogies in the boiling water and cook until they float to the surface plus 1 minute more. Drain on a paper towel. Now pan-fry them in butter or light-flavoured oil and sprinkle with sugar while they’re still hot. Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, Custard Sauce (see below), your favourite syrup or berries.

For fresh savoury pierogies: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop the pierogies in the boiling water and cook until they float to the surface plus 1 minute more. Drain on a paper towel. (If you like pierogies a little crisper, you can also pan-fry these in butter or oil after boiling.) Sprinkle the toppings over top to garnish. Serve with sour cream on the side with a sprinkling of green onions.

For frozen pierogies: To cook from frozen, cook as above, but add an additional minute for the savoury or sweet pier- ogies to float to the top of the boiling water.

Custard sauce
Makes 2 cups

This custard sauce is creamy and velvety soft, with a hint of vanilla. It’s a perfect finish to my traditional Steamed Berry Pudding. Try pouring it over a bowl of berries or Sensational Cinnamon Buns. Alf loves pouring it over sweet Pierogies, Waffles and Blueberry Pancakes — but not all at once.

1 cup whipping (35 per cent) cream
2/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whipped cream, for garnish (optional)
Lemon zest, for garnish (optional)

You can substitute the vanilla for ¾ teaspoon fresh orange or lemon juice for an alternative flavour.

Fill the bottom part of a double boiler with water and bring it to a simmer on medium heat. In the top part of the double boiler, whisk the whipping cream and milk with 1 tea- spoon of the sugar until it reaches 180 F. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pot to monitor the temperature. Pour the scalded milk into a measuring cup for easier slow pouring. For best results, warm your measuring cup before adding the milk.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until combined, 1 minute. Whisking continuously, pour the scalded milk mixture very slowly into the egg mixture to avoid scrambling the eggs. Continue whisking until both mixtures are combined.

Pour the mixture into the top of the double boiler. On medium-low heat, stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the temperature reaches 170 F to 173 F, approximately 15 minutes. Do not allow the temperature to go above 173 F.

Adjust the heat level of your burner if necessary. Going even slightly over this temperature will cause the eggs to begin to scramble. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and will have a silky-smooth consistency. (If you run your finger across the wooden spoon, you’ll create a path in the sauce.)

Remove from heat as soon as you have the required consistency, as overcooking can cause the custard sauce to curdle.

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and strain the cus- tard. Let cool completely, then mix in the vanilla. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the custard to prevent it from forming a skin, and place in the refrigera- tor for up to 2 days. I do not recommend freezing custard.

Warm the custard sauce slightly before serving, either ina small pot on medium-low heat or in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval.

Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with lemon zest, if desired.

Excerpted from The Krause Berry Farms Cookbook by Sandee Krause. Copyright © 2024 Sandee Krause. Photographs by Heather Cameron. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.