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Take Your Pick
A poet once said, “In summer, the song sings itself.”
A cook would add that summer’s delicious and abundant fruits virtually prepare themselves. Berries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and cherries don’t need complicated recipes so much as a gentle touch to enhance and show off their fresh flavors, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy summer’s largesse.
Here we offer a fresh berry pie (easy to whip up and a gorgeous addition to even the most formal table), a fresh strawberry pie, and instructions for easy cherry and peach fillings that you can add to a store-bought crust – or your family’s own homemade crust recipe.
If you’re up for a change, you might also try our unexpected new crust variation made with crumbs of that childhood favorite, Zwieback toast.
Berry Pie
Ingredients
2 cups fresh raspberries
2 cups fresh blackberries
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons red currant jelly
1 pie shell, cooked and cooled
Procedure:
Combine berries in a large colander and gently rinse. Spread on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and gently pat dry.
In a food processor, puree 2-1/2 cups mixed berries for about one minute, until they’re smooth and fully pureed.
Strain the puree though a mesh strainer into a non-reactive saucepan, scraping and pressing the seeds to extract as much puree as possible.
Whisk sugar, cornstarch and salt in small a bowl to combine, and whisk mixture into the puree.
Bring the puree to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. When the mixture reaches a boil and is thickened to consistency of pudding, remove it from the heat, stir in lemon juice, and set aside to cool slightly.
While puree is cooling, place remaining berries in a medium bowl. Heat jelly in another saucepan over low heat until fully melted. Drizzle the melted jelly over the berries and toss gently to coat. Pour slightly cooled puree into a cooled pie shell and top with fresh berries. Loosely cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the puree has set (three hours or more).
Serve with whipped cream.
Cherry Pie Filling
Ingredients:
6 cups sweet cherries (pitted) or
6 cups pitted frozen cherries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon: 1 teaspoon zest,
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 Tablespoon brandy
3 to 4 Tablespoons quick-
cooking tapioca
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter,
cut into small pieces
Procedure:
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Tuck prepared fruit into pie shell,
scatter butter over fruit, add top crust, flute around edges, and cut four slits
at right angles on dough to allow steam to escape.
Place pie on baking sheet. Bake until top crust is golden (20-25 minutes).
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until juices bubble and crust is golden brown (30-50 minutes longer).
Transfer pie to wire rack. Let cool to almost room temperature to allow juices to thicken (1-2 hours).
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Ingredients:
2 quarts fresh strawberries, washed and hulled (1 quart halved; remaining quart sliced lengthwise into 4-5 slices)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon powdered pectin
for lower sugar recipes
Pinch of table salt
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 prebaked 9-inch pie shell
Procedure:
Puree 2 cups of the halved berries
in blender, scraping down sides,
until smooth.
Bring puree, sugar, pectin and salt to a boil, stirring occasionally, over medium heat.
Increase heat to medium high and boil until sugar and pectin are dissolved (about 1 minute).
Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water until smooth.
Remove from heat and add cornstarch to strawberry mixture, then return to boil, stirring constantly over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring, until mixture becomes thick and clear, about three minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in cinnamon, lemon juice and vanilla.
Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature. (Reserve 1/4 cup for topping.)
Fold sliced strawberries into large bowl of glaze, coat thoroughly.
Turn glazed berries into pie shell and spread evenly. Place berry halves in concentric circles, flat side down, points toward center. (Start at center and work out to edge.)
Stir 2 Tablespoons water into reserved glaze to thin, and brush over berry halves. Refrigerate until cold.
Perfect Peach Pie Filling
Ingredients:
6 cups peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 lemon: 1 teaspoon zest, 2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 Tablespoon minced crystallized ginger
1/4 teaspoon table salt
3 to 4 Tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Procedure:
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix above ingredients (except butter). Tuck prepared fruit into pie shell, scatter butter over fruit, add top crust, flute around edges, and cut four slits at right angles on dough to allow steam to escape.
Place pie on baking sheet. Bake until top crust is golden (20-25 minutes).
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until juices bubble and crust is golden brown (30-50 minutes longer).
Transfer pie to wire rack. Let cool to almost room temperature to allow juices to thicken (1-2 hours).
Zwieback Pie Crust
Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups (about 15 toasts) crumbled zwiebacks
3 Tablespoons sugar
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and put rack on lower middle position.
Mix crumbs and sugar.
Add butter and stir with fork until well mixed.
Scrape into 8-inch ovenproof pie plate and spread evenly over bottom, pressing crumbs up the sides and around the top sides with fingers.
Bake about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
Story and Recipes by Kelly Price
Photo by Jeffrey S. Otto
