No-Bake Fresh Fruit Pie
From Epicurious.
Advance preparation: The pastry can be prebaked a day in advance. The filling should be made early in the day, and the pie filled and set to chill at least 3 hours before serving.
Filling:
4 cups any combination of fresh berries, picked over, washed, hulled, if necessary, and drained until dry, and/or cut-up peeled fresh fruit, divided (1 1/2 cups and 2 1/2 cups), (Note: try blueberries and peaches, or raspberries and nectarines, or blueberries and strawberries, or plums and peaches with Marionberries or huckleberries; do not peel plums, nectarines or pears)
2/3 to 1 cup granulated sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more as needed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Prepare the pastry, roll it out, and line the pie plate. Prick the pastry bottom with a fork and chill until firm. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Completely blind-bake the shell.
In a food processor or using a fork, mash 1 1/2 cups of the cut-up mixed fruit or berries. Measure the sugar, cornstarch, and water into a saucepan and whisk until smooth. Stir in the mashed fruit and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and clear. Stir in the lemon juice.
Taste the cooked sauce and correct the balance of sugar and lemon if necessary. Stir in the butter and all the remaining cut-up fresh fruit and berries. Firm fruits like apples or plums are best slightly mashed into the cooked sauce, while softer fresh fruits and berries should simply be stirred in. Chill until partially thickened, then spoon into the cooked pastry shell and chill for at least 3 hours to set. Serve with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
Yield: One 9-inch pie; serves 6 to 8
The Perfect Pie
Susan Purdy
Broadway Books
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Comments from people at the Epicurius site:
Oatmeal Crust:
“Just mix 2c oatmeal, 1/3 c brown sugar and enough melted butter to make it stick together (~1/3 -1/2 c) depending on your tastes. Press into pie pan and bake 10 minutes on 400 or til golden and crispy. Then prepare filling as directed and top with fresh whip cream or cool whip! Yummy!!!”
“This one is a “keeper”!! I made a few adjustments (that’s what cooks do, right?), and find this easy and tasty. I use a sweet pastry dough (Gourmet Entertains,1999)in a springform pan, rather than a pie shell. I blind bake, chill, and then fill. I’ve used a variety of fruits, most recently blackberries (with a dash of cinnamon), topped with peach filling, to which I added a 1 inch cube of fresh ginger while cooking. I chill the berry filling in the crust for a bit, and then top with the peach, for a stunning two-layered effect. Served with brown sugar whipped cream, and garnished with additional fresh berries and mint leaves, it’s a show-stopper. My best friends own a DiRONA award winning restaraunt, so I need this site to help me hold my own. Access to truly fresh, field ripened fruit helps on this recipe. Just a note: I had no difficulty getting this to set using the liquid stated. It does take patience to cook this until it’s truly thickened and clear, which is the cooking time as stated, AFTER the mixture starts to bubble. YUMMM!!”
My Reaction, from August 2003:
I added a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg when adding the lemon juice, and added more lemon juice than it called for. I didn’t add butter to the fruit — it didn’t need it at all. Used about 1/3 cup of water, and maybe 1/2 cup sugar. The second time I made it it didn’t set really firmly, but it was still quite tasty. Made with huckleberries and white nectarines the first time, huckleberries and white and yellow peaches the second.
Especially with the oatmeal crust it really cries out for a nice, not-very-sweet whipped cream. Tay-stee.