Stone Fruit Pie

Name: Stone Fruit Pie
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: makes 1 9" pie
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 ⁄ 2 cup cornstarch; 1 tbsp. sugar; 3 ⁄ 4 tsp. salt; 1 ⁄ 4 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; 1 ⁄ 4 cup plus 1 tbsp. cold lard or vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces; 1 ⁄ 3 to 1 ⁄ 2 cup ice cold water; 3 lb. mixed stone fruit (like plums, apricots, and nectarines), pitted and sliced (about 8 cups); 1 ⁄ 2 cup sugar; 2 tbsp. instant tapioca; 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice; 1 egg

Serves
makes 1 9" pie

ANNA STOCKWELL

This recipe was developed by Border Grill chef Mary Sue Milliken, who says "At my restaurant, I use pastry flour for pie crusts, but I commonly find myself without at home, so here I've substituted all-purpose flour and cornstarch to achieve the same crispy tenderness. I love freezing fruit at its peak — sliced, sugared, and juicy, with tapioca added — so that a blast of summer is at my fingertips in the dead of winter." If it's winter and you haven't frozen your own stone fruits, you can buy the pre-frozen, bagged versions readily available at most groceries.

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH:

2 cups all-purpose flour
¹⁄₂ cup cornstarch
1 tbsp. sugar
³⁄₄ tsp. salt
¹⁄₄ cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¹⁄₄ cup plus 1 tbsp. cold lard or vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
¹⁄₃ to ¹⁄₂ cup ice cold water

FOR THE FILLING:

3 lb. mixed stone fruit (like plums, apricots, and nectarines), pitted and sliced (about 8 cups)
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
2 tbsp. instant tapioca
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 egg

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Instructions

Step 1

Make the dough: Sift together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Sprinkle in the pieces of cold butter and shortening; using your fingers, squeeze and rub the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until the pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle in the water and gently mix. When the dough barely comes together, form two discs, one slightly larger than the other, and wrap each with plastic. Refrigerate 1-2 hours, or overnight.

Step 2

Once dough has chilled, roll the larger disc on a floured countertop to create a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Place dough into a 9-inch pie pan and gently push dough into the bottom of the pan, letting the outside of the circle drape over the edges. Cut off excess dough using a pinching motion, creating a crimped edge.

Step 3

Roll the smaller disc of cough into a circle about ¼-inch thick and trim to fit just inside the bottom crust, then place on a plate. Cut a few decorative vents on the top and refrigerate for ½ hour or overnight.

Step 4

Preheat oven to 450° and bake bottom crust "blind" for 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 5

Make the filling: Place the fruit in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with sugar, tapioca, and lemon juice; gently toss. Let fruit sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or until some juices are released.

Step 6

Remove the blind-baked bottom crust from the oven and lower temperature to 375°. Pour fruit filling into crust, then place the smaller piece of dough over the top of the fruit mixture until almost, but not quite, touching the edges of the bottom crust. (The top piece should not be joined to the bottom piece.) In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with 1 tbsp. water, and brush the crust liberally with the egg wash. Return pie to the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until filling bubbles and crust is golden. Remove from oven, place on a rack and cool to room temperature before serving.