Baked beauties in revealing outfits
SUMMER fruit pies are America’s birthday cake. Just as the blueberries are ripening in Maine, the peaches blushing in Georgia and the olallieberries deep-purpling in Washington, we gather in backyards and on patios to cheer the founders and make best wishes for our national future.
So, of course, we celebrate (now and all summer long) with the dish that defines us as Americans.
Honey-sweet apricots and winy cherries together under one flaky-crisp crust, a trio of berries thickened into a jam-like filling in another, the rich fruit flavors of nectarine and blackberries playing off each other in a third -- thanks to the abundant fruit of orchard and bramble, pies that we make at this time of year can be a glorious blend of flavors.
Some of our best-loved pies are single-ingredient classics, but there’s great reason to mix and match: The more complex interplay of flavors in a two- or three-fruit filling is admirably set off by the simple sweet flakiness of pie crust.
And you don’t have to peel the apricots. Or blanch the nectarines before peeling. For baking, the nectarines should be firm but not hard; they should give to gentle pressure when pressed with your thumb.
Use less sugar and a smaller amount of thickening agent (such as tapioca) than you might have seen called for in the past. With the wide availability of gorgeous farmers market produce, it’s best to use both sparingly and allow the true fruit flavors and textures to be enjoyed. Which is not to say these pretty pies are plain-Jane creations in any way. Well-chosen details give them originality and oomph.
A judicious pinch of black pepper in the crust of a nectarine-blackberry pie adds a mysterious and intriguing dark note; vanilla bean enriches an apricot-cherry filling.
To bring the combination of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries to their full expression of flavor, add a little Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, the sweet peach-scented wine from the southern Rhone region of France. You could also use another sweet white wine such as Sauternes or Monbazillac.
A few notes on technique are helpful, even if you’re an experienced pie maker. Use glass pans to make fruit pies; they won’t react with the acid in the fruit. And chill the dough before rolling it out. If you’ve gotten distracted and left it in the fridge longer than an hour, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before rolling it out.
Don’t shy away from making lattice or cutout crusts -- they’re not hard to master and it’s so rewarding to see the glowing colors of caramelized fruit revealed through the windows of golden brown crust.
Stars and pies forever.
donna.deane@latimes.com
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Nectarine-berry pie with black pepper crust
Total time: About 2 hours
Servings: 8
Note: From Donna Deane You can substitute Demerara with any large-crystal sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw.
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces, plus 1 tablespoon butter, cut into 1/4 -inch pieces, divided
4 tablespoons ice water
10 nectarines (about 3 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2 -inch slices
2 cups blackberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
1. Combine the flour, three-fourths teaspoon salt and black pepper. Add the two-thirds cup of butter pieces and toss to coat. Use a pastry blender or your hands to work the butter into the dry ingredients until small pieces of butter remain and the flour-butter mixture resembles coarse-ground meal with no large pieces of butter visible.
2. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the dough holds together and forms a ball. On a lightly floured surface, cut the dough in half and shape into two equal disks. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the nectarines, blackberries and lemon juice. You should have about 4 cups of fruit. Let stand while rolling out the dough.
4. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to stand 10 to 15 minutes. Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle about one-eighth-inch thick. Roll the dough around the rolling pin. Carefully lift the dough onto a 9-inch pie plate and gently press it into the bottom and up the sides, leaving excess dough hanging over the edge.
5. Roll out the second round of dough into a rectangle about 13 by 10 inches and one-fourth-inch thick. Cut the dough lengthwise into eight strips about 1-inch-wide.
6. In a bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch and remaining one-fourth teaspoon salt. Pour the mixture over the fruit, stirring to coat. Then stir in the corn syrup. Fill the pie shell with the fruit and juices. Sprinkle over the remaining 1 tablespoon cut-up butter.
7. Lay half the strips of dough over the top of the pie. Lay the remaining strips of dough diagonally over the top of the first strips. Or weave the strips by laying 4 strips over the top of the pie. Fold the first and third strips back (about three-fourths of the way across the pie), then place a strip across the second and fourth strips. Unfold the first and third strips over the perpendicular strip. Fold the second and fourth strips back; add another strip across the first and third strips. Now unfold the second and fourth strips. Repeat with 2 more strips of dough, working your way across the pie.
8. Pinch the edges of the dough together and fold the edges under to fit the pie dish. Pressing the rim of the dough between two fingers, flute the edges. Brush the crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for about 50 to 55 minutes until the pie is well-browned and bubbly. Let the pie cool to warm before serving.
Each serving: 444 calories; 7 grams protein; 70 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams fiber; 17 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 67 mg. cholesterol; 315 mg. sodium.
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Apricot-cherry pie
Total time: About 2 hours
Servings: 8
Note: From test kitchen director Donna Deane. The recipe for the crust is from “Local Flavors” by Deborah Madison. You can substitute any large-crystal sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw, for Demerara.
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1 egg yolk
Scant 1/2 cup ice water
1 1/2 pounds firm ripe apricots, pitted and quartered, about 4 cups
1 1/2 pound cherries, pitted
1/2 large vanilla bean
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
1. Place the flour in a food processor with the salt and pulse to mix. Cut the three-fourths cup plus 2 tablespoons butter into 1-inch chunks and add them to the flour. Pulse four to six times to break up the chunks of butter. Combine the vinegar and egg yolk in a measuring cup and add enough ice water to bring the volume up to one-half cup. While pulsing, add the liquid in a steady stream until the flour looks crumbly and damp. You may not use all of the liquid (we used one-fourth cup). Between 25 and 30 pulses should be enough. Don’t let the dough form a ball. The crumbs should adhere when you gather them in your hand. If not, add a few more drops of ice water. Divide the dough into two parts. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Alternatively, the dough can be made by hand. Combine the flour with the salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into 1-inch chunks and add them to the flour, using a fork, a pastry blender or your hands to break up the butter into the flour so the mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine the vinegar and egg yolk in a measuring cup and add enough ice water to bring the volume to one-half cup. Drizzle the liquid, a few tablespoons at a time, over the mixture and stir with a fork until the flour looks crumbly and damp. Again, you may not use all of the liquid. Combine the dough with your hands to form a single ball. Divide the dough in half and cover each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.
3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, lightly toss together the apricots and cherries. Use the tip of a knife to scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean onto the fruit and toss to coat. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch and pour over the fruit. Toss to coat evenly. Stir in the lemon juice. Let stand while rolling out the dough.
4. Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch circle about one-eighth-inch thick. Roll the dough loosely around the rolling pin and carefully lift the dough onto a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Gently press the dough onto the bottom and sides of the pie plate, leaving the excess hanging over the edge.
5. Roll out the second round of dough into a 12-inch circle about one-eighth-inch thick. Use a 1 3/4 -inch round cutter to cut a circle out of the center of the dough. Using the same cutter, cut five other circles out of the dough around the large circle.
6. Fill the pie shell with the fruit and juices. Sprinkle over the remaining butter. Fold the second round of dough (with cut-outs) into quarters. Place the folded dough on top of the pie so that it is centered when you unfold it to cover the pie.
7. Pinch the edges of the dough together and fold the edges under to fit the pie plate. Pressing the rim of the dough between two fingers, flute the edges. Brush the crust with beaten egg and sprinkle with Demerara. Put the pie on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. If the crust browns too quickly, loosely tent the top of the pie with foil. Let cool on a wire rack.
Each serving: 509 calories; 7 grams protein; 71 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 23 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 108 mg. cholesterol; 160 mg. sodium.
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Three-berry pie
Total time: About 2 hours, 25 minutes
Servings: 8
Note: From Donna Deane. You can substitute a sweet white wine such as Sauternes, Barsac, Monbazillac, Muscat de Rivesaltes or Muscat de St.-Jean-de-Minervois for the Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise. Quick-cooking tapioca is available at Bristol Farms, Gelsons and Pavilions. You can substitute any large-crystal sugar, such as sugar in the raw, for Demerara.
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground
nutmeg
2/3 cup cold butter, cut into 1/4 -inch pieces plus 1 tablespoon butter, cut into 1/4 -inch pieces, divided
1/2 vanilla bean
4 tablespoons ice water
4 cups blackberries
4 cups raspberries
3 cups blueberries
2 tablespoons Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise
1/2 cup sugar, or more to taste if fruit is especially tart
5 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, or 3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
1 (8-ounce) carton creme fraiche
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1. Combine the flour, three-fourths teaspoon salt and nutmeg. Add the two-thirds cup of butter pieces. Use the tip of a knife to scrape the vanilla bean seeds from the bean onto the butter. Use a pastry blender or your hands to work the butter into the dry ingredients until just small pieces of butter remain and the flour resembles coarse-ground meal.
2. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the dough holds together and forms a ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and form the dough into two flat rounds. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.
3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the blackberries, raspberries and blueberries with the Muscat. Allow to macerate for 5 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, tapioca and remaining one-eighth teaspoon salt. Pour the mixture over the fruit, tossing to coat the fruit evenly. Let the fruit stand 20 to 25 minutes while rolling out the crust; if using cornstarch to thicken the mixture, the fruit needs to stand only 5 minutes.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit out for 10 to 15 minutes. Roll out one portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle, about one-eighth-inch thick. Roll the dough loosely around the rolling pin and carefully unroll it onto a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Gently press dough onto the bottom and sides of the pie plate, leaving excess dough hanging over the edge.
6. Roll out the second round of dough into a 13-inch circle. Cut a 4-inch circle out of the center. Use a 1 1/4 -inch star cutter to cut stars out of the dough around the cut-out circle; additionally, cut stars out of the 4-inch circle that has been removed from the dough. Set aside cut-out stars to decorate the edge of the pie.
7. Fill the pie shell with the fruit and juices. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of the cut-up butter over the top of the pie. Roll the dough loosely around the rolling pin and carefully lift the dough and unroll it over the pie.
8. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch edge. Fold the edges under to fit the pie plate, gently pressing it flat on the rim of the pie plate. Brush the crust with beaten egg.
9. Press the stars around the edge of the pie plate. Brush the stars with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with the Demerara sugar. Put the pie on a baking sheet and bake 55 to 60 minutes, until it is golden brown and bubbly. If the pie browns too quickly while baking, loosely tent the top of the pie with foil. Let the pie cool on a wire rack to warm.
10. Whip the creme fraiche until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in powdered sugar.
11. Cut the pie into serving-size pieces. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche on top of each slice.
Each serving: 510 calories; 7 grams protein; 68 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams fiber; 24 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 83 mg. cholesterol; 201 mg. sodium.
