A fresh summer dessert, this sassy blackberry-pluot fruit pie is deep red. A kiss of vanilla brings a hint of warmth to the party. You can also use nectarines, plums, or any other tart, headstrong stonefruit to make this pie. Makes one 8-inch pie. Crust recipe adapted from Art of Pie.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30minutes
Cook Time 30minutes
Total Time 1hour
Servings 8
Calories 480kcal
Author Stephanie Stiavetti
Ingredients
For the crust
2 1/2cupsall purpose flour
8tablespoonsunsalted cold buttercut into 1-inch pieces
8tablespoonslardcut into 1-inch pieces (or another 8 tablespoons cold butter)
To a large bowl add flour, butter, lard, and salt. Set the bowl in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Working quickly and using your hands, blend the ingredients together until they look like coarse meal with some pea-sized lumps. The lumps make flakey pies! Set the dough back in the fridge for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of ice water over the dough and stir lightly with a fork. Squeeze a handful of dough together to see if it holds together without falling apart. Add water in 1 tablespoon increments, mixing with a fork after each, until the dough holds together when squeezed with your hands.
Divide the dough in half and make 2 wide, flat disks about 5-inches across. Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Take out one disk and put it on a well-floured board, pastry cloth, parchment paper or plastic wrap. Sprinkle some flour onto the top of the dough. Thump the disk with your rolling pin several times to "wake it up." Turn it over and thump the other side.
Always starting from the center and rolling outwards, roll the dough until it is 2-inches larger than the diameter of your pie plate. Make sure to pick up the dough after every two or three rolls to make sure it's not sticking to your surface. Sprinkle more flour onto the top or bottom of the crust if needed to keep the dough from sticking to the pin or your work surface.
Fold the dough over the top of your rolling pin and carefully lay it across your pie pan. Gently scoot the crust into the corners of your pie plate without stretching the dough - let its weight do most of the work. If you've got cracks in your crust, dab a little water where it needs to be patched and stick on a piece of dough to patch it. Slide the pie plate into the refrigerator until the filling is ready, at least 15 minutes.
Make the blackberry pluot fruit filling
Preheat oven to 425°F(218°C). Pour the sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Slice the vanilla bean length-wise and use a spoon to scrape out the tiny beans. Add the beans and pod to the sugar. Using your fingers, rub the vanilla beans into the sugar, making sure to massage as much sugar as you can into the empty pod. Let sit for 5 minutes. Discard the pod.
Add the pluots, blackberries, lemon juice, flour, and salt to the sugar. Stir well, making sure to mash the fruit a bit to vary the texture. Feel free to get your hands in there and really squish it up, if you're into it. It's a lot of fun.
Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Place the pie plate in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Construct the pie
Roll out the remaining dough disk to about 1/2-inch thick, and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips. Form the lattice top by weaving the strips together. Kate has a wonderful video tutorials here. Pinch the edges of the pie so that the edges of the latticework are sealed to the crust in the pan.
Bake at 425°F (218°C) for 15 minutes, or just until the crust begins to turn a gentle gold. Lower heat to 350°F (176°C) and bake for another 30 minutes, until the crust is an irresistible golden brown and the filling is bubbling enthusiastically. Allow to cool fully before serving. Top with freshly-made whipped cream.
Notes
Nutritional analysis does not include whipped cream for serving.