Filled with  rum and raisins, creamy custard and whipped cream, this pie should be kept as far from your low-fat new year’s resolution as possible. Which makes it the perfect dessert for July. Technically, that should be  June, but the summer solstice makes rum indulgence a long season. Helpful Hint: you can save calories by skipping dinner (or lunch, or breakfast) entirely and just have the pie.

The Crust

 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 it just begins to boil, then remove from heat

Whisk together the 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

Unstick any stuck-together raisins, and line the bottom of the cooled tart pan with them

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

The pie can be chilled, covered loosely with plastic wrap for up to 3 days, meaning encourage everyone to have seconds

The Crust

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

The Crust

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 Crust

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 nectarineCurl 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 Crust

The Sweetest, Easiest Sweet Tart Dough

The Filling

The Crust

The Zen Master’s Pie Crust for a double crust piecut strips for a Lattice Pie Crust

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

The Crust

The Zen Master’s Pie Crust for a double crust piecut strips for a Lattice Pie Crust

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 pulverizedIn a large bowl, combine the almonds, sugar and cornstarch, cherries, sugar mixture and salt, and toss until combinedPile the fruit into the bottom pie crustDot with bits of butterTrim and flute the edges Lattice weave the topBake 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