The Zen Master’s Pie Crust
for a single crust pie,
blind baked

The Filling

1. 3 cups heavy cream, plus
2. ⅔ cup for serving
3. ⅔ cup granulated sugar
4. 4 large whole eggs, plus
5. 2 large egg yolks
6. ¼ tsp salt
7. ¼ cup dark rum
8. ¼ cup golden raisins
9. ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

Preheat the oven to 400°
Pour the cream into a medium saucepan
Cook until just beginning to boil, remove from heat
Whisk together granulated sugar, whole eggs, egg yolks and salt
Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the hot cream until combined
Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 10-12 minutes
Stir in the rum
Remove from heat and set aside
De-stick any stuck-together raisins, and line the bottom of the cooled tart
Slowly pour in the custard
Bake 20-25 minutes (rotating the pie half way through) until the middle is set
Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely
Just before serving , combine the remaining ⅔ cup cream and confectioner’s sugar
Beat until soft peaks form
Serve slices of pie with a dollop of whipped cream
Pie can be chilled, covered loosely with plastic wrap for up to 3 days, meaning encourage everyone to have seconds

Low Sodium Snafu Pie Crust
for a single crust pie
blind baked

The Filling

1. 5 large eggs
2. 1 tbs heavy cream
3. 1 ¼ cups packed light-brown sugar
4. 6 tbs unsalted butter, melted
5. ⅓ cup light corn syrup
6. ⅓ cup unsulfured molasses
7. 1 tbs bourbon
8. 1 tsp vanilla extract
9. ¼ tsp salt
10. 1 ⅔ cups pecans, coarsely chopped, plus
11. ⅓ cup whole pecan halves
12. baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 350°
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, molasses, bourbon, vanilla, and salt
Stir in the chopped pecans
Pour filling into the cooled pie shell
Arrange whole pecans on top of pie
Bake (on the half sheet lined with parchment) until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean, about 45 minutes
Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely

Graham Cracker Pie Crust
for a single crust pie

The Filling

1. 3 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
2. 1 tsp lime zest
3. ¼ cup fresh lime juice
4. 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
5. 3 tbs rum
6. 2 tbs Cointreau
7. 1 ½ cups whipping cream
8. sliced strawberries for garnish

In a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries, lime zest, lime juice, condensed milk, rum, and Cointreau until smooth
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream on high speed, until stiff peaks form
Transfer the strawberry mixture to a large bowl and gently fold in the whipped cream, half a cup at a time, until well combined
Pour the filling into the crust, smoothing the top
Cover the pie with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours
Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving
Garnish top with sliced strawberries

The Sweetest, Easiest Sweet Tart Dough

The Filling

1. 3 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
2. 1 large egg
3. ¼ cup sugar
4. 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
5. 1 tbs Chambord
6. ¼ tsp salt
7. 8 ripe, firm nectarines

Preheat the oven to 375°
In a small saucepan, melt the butter until it starts to brown, 4-5 minutes, set aside
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, lemon juice, Chambord and salt, about two minutes
Add flour and reserved brown butter
Whisk until combined and set aside

The Nectarines

Make thin slices of each nectarine
Curl them around each other to “stand” in a nice pattern in the tart shell, or arrange them in a concentric circle, or just thrown them in a single layer so the tart shell is covered
Whisk the filling again and pour over the fruit
Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is slightly puffed, about 40 minutes

The Sweetest Sweet Tart Pastry
for a single crust pie

The Filling

1. ¼ cup unsalted butter
2. ⅓ cup sugar
3. 3 large pears, peeled, cored and cut into ½ inch dice

The Walnut Custard

1. ¼ cup walnuts, pulverized, plus ½ cup chopped walnuts
2. 1 egg
3. 2 tbs sugar
4. ½ cup heavy cream
5. 1 tsp vanilla extract
6. ¼ tsp salt
7. ⅓ cup apricot glaze

Preheat the oven to 180°
In a large skillet, combine the butter and sugar, and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until it’s bubbling, then cook for two minutes more (and keep stirring)
Add the pears and cook, stirring and tossing until the pears are golden, about 8 minutes
Spread the pear mixture in the cooled tart shell
In a bowl, whisk together the pulverized walnuts, egg, sugar, cream, vanilla, and salt
Pour over the pears
Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top and bake until the custard is set, about 25 minutes
Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes
Brush the top with warm apricot glaze

The Filling

1. ⅓ cup toasted almonds
2. ⅔ cup sugar (if you’re using sweet cherries, 1 ⅓ cup, if you’re using sour cherries)
3. 3 tbs cornstarch
4. 5 cups pitted sweet or sour cherries
5. ¼ tsp salt
6. 2 tbs unsalted butter, cut into bits

Preheat the oven to 425°
In a food processor or blender, combine the almonds, sugar and cornstarch
Whirl until the nuts are pulverized
In a large bowl, combine the cherries, sugar mixture and salt, and toss until combined
Pile the fruit into the bottom pie crust
Dot with bits of butter
Trim and flute the edges
Lattice weave the top
Bake for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° and bake until the juices are bubbling and the top is browned, about 35 minutes longer