Pattis Nectarine Blueberry Pie Food

BLUEBERRY NECTARINE PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Stir the flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.
• Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a spatula. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to overblend).
• Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or small bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated.
• Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, and mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.
• Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine.
• Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow.
• Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roll out half of the dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the overhang to 1 inch and refrigerate the crust.
• Make the filling: In a large bowl, toss together the nectarines, berries, lemon zest, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Just before adding the filling to the pie plate, toss the fruit in the dry ingredients. Brush the rim of the bottom crust with egg wash or milk.
• Roll out the second half of the dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Lay it over the filled pie. Trim the edges, and tuck the top crust over the rim of the bottom crust to form a tight seal. Crimp the edge into whatever pattern you like. Brush the top crust with egg wash or milk, sprinkle it with raw sugar, and cut a few slits to allow steam to escape.
• Put the pie on a baking sheet and bake it for 20 minutes, turning it once halfway through. Lower the temperature to 350°F and bake it for 30 to 40 minutes more, until the crust is golden and fully baked and the juices have thickened (mine required an additional 85 minutes, believe it or not, but my blueberries started out frozen and needed more time to catch up-the key is to watch for the visual cues to know it's done ie bubbly juices. If the edges of your crust brown too quickly, use a pie shield or tent the edges with foil).
• Remove the pie to a rack to cool completely, at least 1 hour. This pie can be refrigerated for up to 1 week, covered in plastic wrap. Let it come to room temperature before serving, or warm it in a low oven. It can be kept frozen for up to 2 months: Wrap it in plastic, then in foil, and let it come to room temperature before serving.

PATTI'S NECTARINE-BLUEBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Make piecrust: Sift flour and salt together into a large bowl. Blend in shortening with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in ice water a little at a time until dough comes together.
• Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll each half with a floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round. Transfer one round to a 9-inch pie plate, gently pressing it in to fit. Transfer second half to a baking sheet, and cover with parchment paper. Refrigerate both pieces 30 minutes.
• Make filling: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stir together 3/4 cup sugar, the tapioca, and the cinnamon, if desired, in a medium bowl. Put berries, nectarines, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Gently fold the sugar mixture into fruit; let stand 15 minutes.
• Pour fruit filling into pie shell, and dot with butter. Cover with remaining dough round. Trim edge of dough flush with top edge of plate; gently press to seal. Crimp edges decoratively; cut steam vents in top crust. Cover edge with a band of foil to prevent excess browning.
• Transfer pie to a baking sheet, and bake 35 minutes. Remove foil band, and sprinkle top of pie with remaining teaspoon sugar. Continue baking until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Let pie cool until warm on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

NECTARINE AND BLUEBERRY GALETTE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees, and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine sugar, lemon zest and vanilla in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the zest and seeds (or extract) into the sugar. Add the flour and salt and stir to combine. Add the nectarines, blueberries and lemon juice, but don't stir quite yet.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch round just under 1/4-inch thick. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet.
• Stir the filling to combine, then pile all the fruit in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Press the fruit gently to make sure there are no large open pockets. Fold the edges of the dough up and over the fruit and press gently to seal the folds.
• Put the whole baking sheet into the freezer, and chill the formed galette until the dough is very firm, about 15 minutes. Brush dough with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with sugar and salt. Bake until deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

BLUEBERRY-NECTARINE LATTICE PIE

Steps:

• If the dough has been chilled for longer than 2 hours, let stand for 10 minutes before rolling.
• Lightly flour a large sheet of parchment paper. Unwrap the larger disk of dough, place in the center of the paper, and cover with its plastic wrap. Roll into a 12-inch round, occasionally lifting and replacing the plastic wrap. Flip it over and peel off the parchment, then lift the dough with the plastic wrap and flip it into a 9-inch pie plate, gently pressing it into the bottom and up the sides. Discard the plastic. Refrigerate until ready to fill.
• Unwrap the remaining disk of dough and repeat the rolling, using the same parchment and rolling it into an 11-inch round. If the dough has softened, slide it on the parchment onto a half sheet pan and refrigerate until firm. Then, using a fluted or straight-edged pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1½-inch-wide strips. Slide onto a pan and refrigerate.
• Stir the sugar, cornstarch, coriander, and salt in a large bowl. Add the blueberries, nectarines, and grapefruit juice. Gently toss until evenly mixed. Let stand while the oven preheats.
• Position a rack on the lowest rung of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Line a half sheet pan with foil. Place the pie plate on the pan.
• Stir the filling again and spread it in the pie plate. Brush water on the edges of the bottom dough. Arrange half of the dough strips on top in parallel lines, spacing them 1 inch apart. Fold back the strips at the center of the pie. Place a dough strip perpendicular to the other strips across the center of the pie. Unfold alternating strips over the perpendicular strip. Set down another perpendicular strip 1 inch apart from the first and unfold the remaining strips over it. Repeat the folding, placing, and unfolding to create a lattice top. Or simply place half the strips on the pie, spacing them an inch apart, and place the remaining strips perpendicular to them, spacing them an inch apart.
• Use a pair of kitchen shears to trim the strips and bottom edge to a ¾-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under and decoratively crimp the edges with a fork or fingers. If the dough has softened, pop the whole pie into the freezer until the dough is firm again, about 10 minutes. If you'd like a sparkly top, brush the lattice with water and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes more. If the crust starts to get too brown, tent loosely with foil.
• Cool on the pan on a wire rack until warm. Carefully lift the pie plate off the foil and let stand on the rack until the filling is set, at least 6 hours
• Make-ahead: The pie will keep overnight at room temperature. In fact, it cuts more cleanly and tastes better the next day, after the filling has had time to really set. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

NECTARINE-RASPBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• Remove the dough for the bottom crust from the refrigerator. If necessary, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to roll.
• On a floured pastry cloth or between two sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap, roll the bottom crust 1/8 inch thick or less and large enough to cut a 12-inch circle. Transfer it to the pie pan. Trim the edge almost even with the edge of the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours.
• Make the filling:
• Place the sliced nectarines in a large bowl and sprinkle them with the lemon juice. Sprinkle on the sugar and salt and toss them gently to mix evenly. Allow to macerate for a minimum of 30 minutes and maximum of 1 hour.
• Transfer the nectarines and their juices to a colander suspended over a bowl to capture the liquid. The mixture will exude a full cup of juice.
• In a small saucepan (preferably lined with a nonstick surface), over medium-high heat, boil down this liquid to 1/2 cup, or until syrupy and lightly carmelized. Swirl the liquid but do not stir it. (Alternatively, spray a 4 cup heatproof measure with nonstick vegetable spray, add the liquid, and boil it in a microwave, about 12 minutes on high). Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes or until warm.
• Meanwhile, transfer the nectarines to a bowl and toss them with the lemon zest and cornstarch until all traces of the cornstarch have disappeared. Stir the Kirsch into the cooled syrup and pour it over the nectarines, tossing gently. Transfer the nectarine mixture to the pie shell and top with the raspberries.
• Roll out the top crust large enough to cut a 12-inch circle. Use an expandable flan ring or a cardboard template and a sharp knife as a guide to cut out the circle.
• Moisten the edges of the bottom crust with water and place the top crust over the fruit. Tuck the overhang under the bottom crust border and press down all around the top to seal it. Crimp the border using a fork or your fingers and make about 5 evenly spaced 2-inch slashes starting about 1 inch from the center and radiating toward the edge. Cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour before baking to chill and relax the pastry. This will maintain flakiness and help to prevent distortion.
• Preheat oven to 425°F at least 20 minutes before baking. Set an oven rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating. Place a large piece of greased foil on top to catch bubbling juices.
• Set the pie directly on the foil-topped baking stone and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the juices bubble thickly through the slashes and the nectarines feel tender but not mushy when a cake tester or small knife is inserted through a slash. After 30 minutes, protect the edges from overbrowning with a foil ring. cool the pie on a rack for at least 3 hours before cutting.
• Store:
• Room temperature, up to 2 days.
• Pointers for success:
• - The nectarines should be ripe but firm so they maintain their texture in a pie. If squishy, they lose their character.
• - As you slice the nectarines, toss them occasionally with the sugar mixture to coat to prevent them from turning brown.
• - The liquid must not be hot when added to the nectarines because it could cause the cornstarch to lump.
• - Be sure to put a sheet of foil under the pie pan, as there is always a little spillover with this much fruit.
• - For a truly crisp bottom crust, bake the pie directly on the floor of the oven for the first 30 minutes.

NECTARINE AND BLUEBERRY TART

Steps:

• To make tart, place flour, salt and sugar in processor and pulse several times.
• Cut butter into tiny pieces and pulse until mixture looks like bread crumbs.
• Add water and bring dough into ball.
• Knead lightly and place in plastic and chill at least 20 minutes.
• In large bowl whisk sugar with cornstarch and gentle toss in nectarines (and optional blueberries.
• Sprinkle with lemon juice. Roll out dough on lightly floured board to about a 12-inch round.
• Fold in half and then half again and place on ungreased baking sheet. Unfold.
• Pour fruit and juice into pastry and mound in middle. Gently fold up edges around filling leaving 6-inch opening in middle. Pinch folds together and brush with water sprinkle on 1 Tbsp of sugar.
• Bake in preheated 375°F oven 35-45 minutes until golden.
• Note: You can easily substitute blackberries for blueberries in this recipe.

BLACKBERRY NECTARINE PIE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, mix cornstarch and apple juice concentrate until smooth. Bring to a boil. Add 1/2 cup blackberries; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat., In a large bowl, toss nectarines with remaining blackberries; transfer to crust. Pour apple juice mixture over fruit (crust will be full). Refrigerate, covered, 8 hours or overnight. If desired, serve with whipped topping.