Nectarine Blueberry Pie - Everyday Annie

Is there a dessert that just screams summer to you more than any other? A particular flavor of ice cream perhaps? Sweet corn black raspberry would get my vote in that category, no question! Are you a die hard cobbler person? For me, it’s pie. Specifically lattice-topped, ideally filled with some sort of stone fruit, juicy and fragrant, practically orgasmic when still warm (not hot) from baking and accompanied by a scoop of ice cream.

As much as I adore peach pie, I live in the midwest and we don’t reliably have good peaches here. Nectarines, while not local, seem to hold up better as far as their shelf life and have the added benefit of not needing to be peeled before adding to a pie. I eat them fresh almost every day in the summer the way I do apples through the fall, but I love them even more baked into this pie. The blueberries are a perfect pairing both for an extra dimension of flavor as well as an incredibly beautiful color contrast.

I have been playing with a slight tweak of my pie baking technique and I think it has made a difference! With juicy fruit pies such as this one, I often find that the bottom crust never really bakes and stays soggy and a bit unpleasant. Lately I have been preheating my baking stone with the oven and then baking the pie on top of that to help get more concentrated heat to the bottom crust, with a baking sheet in between to save the stone from any juices that might bubble over. While the bottom crust is still not crisp like the top, I do think this makes a difference overall. If you try it, let me know what you think. And do try this beauty! It’s too gorgeous, too delicious, too summer not to!

Prep 20-30 minutes
Yield 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients

For the pie crust:

360 grams (3 cups) all-purpose flour
25 grams (2 tbsp.) granulated sugar
4 grams (1 tsp.) kosher salt
255 grams (18 tbsp.) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 tbsp. vodka
10 tbsp. ice water
1 large egg white beaten with 1 tbsp. water, for egg wash

For the filling:

600 grams (3½ cups) pitted, sliced nectarines
510 grams (3 cups) fresh blueberries
148-198 grams (¾-1 cup) granulated sugar
38 grams (¼ cup) potato starch
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
14 grams (1 tbsp.) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Directions

01
To make the pie dough, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir briefly to blend. Add in the butter pieces and use a pastry blender, two knives or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand and the largest butter pieces are not much bigger than peas. (This can also be accomplished in a mixer or with a food processor. See this post for tips.) Mix in the vodka and ice water and knead gently just until the dough comes together into a cohesive ball. Divide the dough into two halves, one slightly larger than the other, and wrap in plastic wrap. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill until firm, about 1 hour.
02
When you are ready to make the pie, heat the oven to 500˚ F. To prepare the filling, combine the nectarines, blueberries, sugar, potato starch, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Mix well to combine. Set aside.
03
Take the smaller half of the pie dough and roll out on a lightly floured work surface into a large round, approximately 12-13 inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and shape to the plate, leaving a small amount of excess around the edges. Pour the fruit filling into the pie shell and smooth into a relatively even layer. Dot the top of the fruit with the small pieces of cold butter.
04
Roll out the remaining portion of pie dough on a lightly floured work surface into a large round. Cut into many parallel strips in whatever width you desire. Place the strips over the fruit filling and arrange in a lattice formation. Trim away the excess dough around the edges, crimp or flute the edges as desired, and brush the top of the lattice with the egg wash.
05
Place the formed pie onto a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Immediately lower the oven temperature to 425˚ F. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Rotate the pie 180 degrees and reduce the oven temperature to 375˚ F. Bake for 25-30 minutes more, until the juices are bubbling and the top is nicely browned. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least two hours before slicing and serving.

Source

adapted from Baking Illustrated