Stone Fruit Pie

I think the perfect way to showcase summer fruit in a dessert is by using it in a pie or pastry. Fruit in cakes doesn't always do it for me... the day after you bake the cake it usually ends up soggy. Fruit in cookies is nearly impossible. Fruit in breads and muffins sometimes works, but you usually end up with the same problem as the cakes.

I would rather have a blueberry pie, strawberry pie, peach pie, or cherry pie, than any other fruit dessert, I think. It took me a while to like peach desserts, which I think is crazy now, because I LOVE peaches. I used to think peaches smelled like feet. I'm not sure where I got that from. Actually, I know; it was the smell of canned peaches that smelled like feet. I was never a fan of fruit cocktail.

I know... let's stop talking about feet and talk about pie, because that's disgusting.



I wanted to bake something with peaches or plums in it, so I thought I could use them both in a pie, along with cherries, and make a stone fruit pie. Stone fruit is a fruit with a single seed, in case you didn't know.

I used my basic double-crust pie dough recipe, and kept the filling pretty simple: peaches, plums, cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and a little lemon zest. Interestingly enough, I browned the butter in my pie dough recipe this time and let it solidify before working it into the flour. I'm not sure the extra step made a significant difference though.

That's all for now. Have a happy Labor Day weekend!
(Update) It's not labor day weekend. Hahaha. Oops.

Stone Fruit Pie (Recipe by Me)
Printable Recipe

Pie Dough
2 1/2 cups cake or all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
11 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
5-6 tablespoons ice water

3 1/2 cups thinly sliced peaches (peeled, pitted)
2 cups thinly sliced plums (peeled, pitted)
1 cup cherries, stemmed, pitted, halved
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the crust, in a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Work the butter in, using a pastry blender or your fingers, until pea-sized lumps form. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tbsp. at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition and adding only enough of the water to form a rough mass.

Using floured hands, pat the dough into two smooth, flattened discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before rolling out.

Meanwhile, stir together peaches, plums, cherries, 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and vanilla until well combined.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Roll one dough disc out thinly on a floured surface, using a rolling pin, and fit into a 9-inch pie plate, place on a cookie sheet; fill pie shell with fruit mixture. Roll out additional dough disc and top fruit mixture; trim and flute edges. Slice some cuts in the center of pie. Brush a little cream or milk evenly over pie dough and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.

Bake for 1 hour or until deep golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 8 servings