Tag: fruit

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 is why it’s a perfect dessert for June. If you’re still determined to stick to your diet, 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

Some pies are best with milk. Some are made for coffee. This pie is meant for the company of a silver tea service, a white wooden porch and a charming cousin who, like the strawberry chiffon, will disappear at just the right moment.

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

If this pie were a wedding cake, it would be perched on a silk-covered table surrounded by orange blossoms and set under an arbor on a vast lawn by a river. So if you’re single, you might think this is definitely not the recipe for you. On the contrary, if you use enough Chambord, you can drown your sorrows and forget all the idiots who wasted your time and caused you to be alone on a summer night eating your way through a pie that is not a wedding cake. Okay, maybe next time you should make the strawberry dacquiri pie.

The Crust

The Sweetest, Easiest Sweet Tart Dough

The Filling

1. 1 ½ tbs flour, plus more for dusting
2. 3 tbs unsalted butter, room temperature
3. 1 large egg
4. ¼ cup sugar
5. 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
6. 1 tbs Chambord
7. ¼ tsp salt
8. 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

 

Making a lattice crust isn’t that difficult. It’s just the under-over or over-under part that can get complicated if you lose track of which part you just did. But it’s definitely worth it, especially when you can see all those beautiful berries underneath. That’s what love is — great looking fruit you can’t at without messing up all your hard work.

The Crust

The Zen Master’s Pie Crust for a double crust pie. Cut 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 pulverized

In a large bowl, combine the almonds, sugar and cornstarch, 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 

With a really close-weave lattice, lots of egg wash (although don’t let it pool) and a generous amount of sanding sugar, this pie is totally gorgeous. And did we mention delicious? Peaches, apricots and sweet Bing cherries in season can just about substitute for a cool breeze rolling through Sag Harbor or a beach on Big Sur. Alright, this may take a little imagination, but when these flavors come together, not all that much.

The Crust

Penelope’s Ultimate Pie Crust for a double crust pie

The Filling

1. 1 lb fresh peaches, pitted and sliced into ¼ inch slices
2. 1 lb fresh apricots, pitted and sliced
3. 1 lb fresh sweet cherries, stemmed, pitted and halved
4. ⅔ cup granulated sugar
5. 3 tbs cornstarch
6. ¼ tsp coarse salt
7. juice of 1 lemon
8. 2 tbs unsalted butter, cut into bits
9. 1 large egg yolk
10. 1 tbs heavy cream
11. sanding sugar

Preheat the oven to 400°

In a large bowl, toss together the peaches, apricots and cherries

Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt and lemon juice

Using a pastry cutter, cut the dough into ¾ wide strips

Spoon the fruit mixture into the chilled bottom pie crust

Dot with butter

Brush the rim of the pie crust with water

Weave a tight lattice crust of dough strips, leaving a ½ inch overhang

Press top and bottom crusts together

Fold the edges under and crimpIn a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and cream

Brush the egg wash on the lattice and edges of pie crust

Sprinkle surface with sanding sugar

Freeze for half an hour

Place in the middle of the rack, on the lower third of the oven

Bake until the crust turns golden, about 20 minutes

Reduce the temperature to 350°

Bake until the crust is deep golden brown and the juices are thickened and bubbling, about 40 to 50 minutes more

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

No matter how bad things are, they can always get worse. So it’s important to stay positive, if only to minimize the damage. Baking a pie is one of the great mood fixer-uppers; and a Blueberry Cloud pie, with its lighter-than-air-texture and fresh blueberry taste, can help you bring about an emotional renovation.

The Crust

Low Sodium Snafu Pie Crust for a single crust pie

The Filling

1. 3 cups fresh blueberries
2. 1 ½ tsp fresh lemon juice
3. ½ cup granulated sugar
4. 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
5. ¼ cup water
6. 3 large egg whites
7. ⅔ cup whipping cream

Preheat the oven to 425°

Blind bake the crust for 15 minutes

Remove the pie weights and bake for 10 minutes more

Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely (like totally completely)

Toss the blueberries with the lemon juice and ¼ cup of the sugar

In a food processor, blend the berry mixture until just smooth (don’t overdo it or you’ll have a smoothie)

In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the water

Set aside, and fill a large bowl with ice and cold water

Add the blueberry puree to the gelatin and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the gelatin has dissolved

Pour the berry mixture into a metal bowl and set the bowl in the ice bath

Chill the fruit mixture, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, until it begins to thicken

Whisk the egg whites until foamy, then add the remaining ¼ cup sugar, one tablespoon at a time

Continue whisking until stiff peaks form

In another bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form

Gently fold the cream into the berry mixture, ⅓ cup at a time

Pour the filling into the pie crust and chill for at least 3 hours, until set

It’s not just the combination of fruit and berries but the dark, rich spices that make this deep dish pie something Sinatra would have sung about. You know, a song with dimension and depth, something slightly lascivious to indulge in when no one was supposed to be looking, but probably was. And if they had camera phones when Frankie was around, someone would for sure have gotten a shot of Ol’ Blue Eyes hiding from lights on the village green (when he was seventeen).

 

The Crust

The Zen Master’s Pie Crust for a double crust pie

The Filling

1. 1 cup light brown sugar
2. ¼ cup all purpose flour
3. ½ tsp cinnamon
4. ¼ tsp cardamom
5. ¼ tsp nutmeg
6. 8 large peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
7. 2 cups blackberries

Preheat the oven to 425°

Combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg

In a large bowl, place the peaches and blackberries

Pour the sugar mixture over them and toss lightly to coat

Pour the fruit mixture into the pie crust

Put the top crust on, and crimp the edges

Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°

Bake for about 55-60 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown

Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely (about 3 hours)