Five takes on latesummer pies
Five takes on late-summer pies
From cherry tomato to apple blackberry, we’ve got some mouth-watering pie recipes for you to try out.
Piles of peaches, tons of tomatoes, buckets of blackberries — savor the flavors of summer … in a pie.
“I could eat fruit pie every day in the summer and not get sick of it,” said Molly Johnston of Nomadic Pies in Kennett Square, where customers enjoy combinations like peach raspberry and apple blackberry.
“This time of year is a perfect time for pie,” she declared. “You can put anything in pie, sweet or savory.”
“I’m always excited to make a pie,” agreed pastry chef Holly Haas of Frecon Farms in Boyertown.
Her “really simple” peach blackberry pie gets a crumb topping.
“I like the fact that it’s not supersweet like some peach pies can be,” she said.
For a more rustic version, try a peach crostata.
“It’s like a pie dough, but it’s freeform,” explained chef Blake Swihart of Foodservice Solutions in Chester Springs. “It’s a good old standard. I use it all the time.”
“The important thing is make sure it’s really chilled before you roll it out,” he added. “Chill it again with the fruit in it before you bake it.”
On the savory side, chef Art Roman tweaks tradition with his cherry tomato pie, featuring capers, feta and Parmesan tucked inside a double crust.
“That’s just a great, great recipe,” described the owner of The Kitchen Workshop in Paoli.
Simply bake and serve with a “nice green salad.”
“It’s a very pretty dish when you slice it,” Roman said. “It is delicious.”
Cherry Tomato Pie
Enjoy with a large crisp green salad. Makes a fantastic light summer dinner or lunch!
Servings: 8
INGREDIENTS
1 (14.1 ounce) package rolled refrigerated unbaked piecrust (2 crusts)
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, divided ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 egg, separated 1 tablespoon torn fresh oregano
¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
4 cups assorted grape/ cherry tomatoes (very visually appealing if tomatoes are different shapes and colors) *Can be found at Giant or local farm stands
1 tablespoons drained capers
½ teaspoon kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Let piecrusts stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl stir together the feta, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, mayonnaise, egg yolk, oregano and pepper. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into the pie plate, pressing lightly into bottom and sides. Sprinkle crust with remaining Parmesan.
Spoon feta mixture into pie plate and spread over the
Parmesan. Top with tomatoes and capers and sprinkle with salt. Trim bottom crust to edge of pie dish. Cut slits in remaining pastry and place on top of filling; seal. Crimp edges as desired. In a small bowl whisk together the egg white and 2 teaspoons water and brush over pastry.
To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie with foil. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the rack below the pie in oven. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil from pie. Bake for 45 minutes more or until crust is golden brown. Cool for 2 hours on a wire rack. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
RECIPE COURTESY OF THE KITCHEN WORKSHOP Peach Crostata
Servings: 8
INGREDIENTS
Dough: 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter 2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ cup fine granulated sugar ½ teaspoon salt ¼ + cup ice water All-purpose flour Filling: 5 ripe peaches, cut into slices 1 cup peach jam, divided ¼ cup peach brandy or liqueur
2 to 3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
Confectioners’ sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dough: In a food processor, combine butter, flour, sugar and salt; pulse to combine until the butter particles are the size of peas. Add ice water all at once and process until just starting to form a mass. Turn onto a floured surface and shape dough into a 6- to 7- inch disk. Wrap and refrigerate.
Fruit filling: In a bowl, combine peaches, ¾ cup jam and brandy; toss well to combine. Sprinkle top of fruit with cornstarch and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; mix well. Hold.
Crust: Lay flattened dough onto a clean work surface sprinkled liberally with confectioner’s sugar. Roll dough into a free-form circle, 12 to 14 inches, sprinkling with more confectioners’ sugar as needed to keep dough from sticking to surface. Edges may be rough. Slide dough onto a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Spread ¼ cup jam onto the rolled-out dough circle. Pour and mound fruit mixture into the center. Raise the dough borders up around the edges to enclose just the sides of the fruit (not the top), letting each piece gently rest over the edge of the previous fold. Be careful not to mash the fruit. Pinch these edges together to adhere well. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
Bake tart: Bake the tart 25 to 35 minutes or until dough is golden brown and fruit is bubbly. Remove tart from oven and cool on rack. Sprinkle top with confectioner’s sugar to serve. Accompany with whipped cream, sweetened mascarpone or ice cream, if desired.
RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF BLAKE SWIHART Peach Blackberry Pie
Perfect in a deep 9-inch pie pan
INGREDIENTS
Homemade pie dough 1 pound fresh yellow peaches, peeled, diced
¾ pound fresh blackberries
3 tablespoons sugar, or as desired ½ tablespoon flour ¼ teaspoon cornstarch ¼ teaspoon tapioca starch For crumb topping: ¼ pound flour ¼ pound sugar ¼ pound cold butter, cubed
½ cup rolled oats
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out your pie dough to a 12-inch round and place the dough in the pie pan. In a medium bowl, toss the peaches and blackberries with the sugar, flour, cornstarch and tapioca starch. Pour the fruit mixture into the piecrust. Top with crumb topping.
For crumb topping: Mix flour and sugar together until combined. Cut in the butter to the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, it will turn a golden color and have a slight wet sand texture to it. Add in oats and mix until combined. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until peaches are tender, crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Remove from oven and let cool before enjoying!
RECIPE COURTESY OF PASTRY CHEF HOLLY HAAS Peach Raspberry Pie INGREDIENTS
Homemade pie dough (enough for a 9-inch double crust)
10 ripe yellow peaches, sliced 2 cups red raspberries ½ cup light brown sugar 3 tablespoons flour 3 tablespoons cornstarch
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine peaches, raspberries, sugar, flour and cornstarch. Fill pie crust, cover with second crust and crimp edges. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 60 to 65 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the juices are thick and oozing.
RECIPE COURTESY OF NOMADIC PIES Apple Blackberry Pie INGREDIENTS
Homemade pie dough (enough for a 9-inch double crust)
12 Ginger Gold apples, peeled, cored and sliced 2 cups blackberries 2/3 cups light brown sugar 3 tablespoons flour 3 tablespoons cornstarch
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine apples, blackberries, sugar, flour and cornstarch. Fill pie crust, cover with second crust and crimp edges. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 60 to 65 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the juices are thick and oozing.
RECIPE COURTESY OF NOMADIC PIES