Recipes

Nectarine and Huckleberry Pie

  • Serves

    makes one 9-inch pie

  • Cook

    3 hours

By SAVEUR Editors


Published on April 29, 2019

A brush of egg wash and sprinkling of raw sugar give this summer fruit pie the most beautiful burnished crust.

While half the fun of making this summery pie is stumbling upon a patch of small, tart huckleberries, you can easily substitute blueberries. They both pair beautifully with the nectarines, lemon zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon in the filling. This recipe comes from Mandy Groom, the pastry chef at Portland's Olympia Provisions.

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Crust

  • Ice
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1½ tsp. sugar
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 stick (4 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp. raw sugar, for dusting

For the Filling

  • 5 cups thinly sliced nectarines (1/8-inch-thick), from about 5 large nectarines (2 lb. with pits)
  • 3 cups huckleberries or blueberries (1 lb. 2 oz.)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
  • ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for dusting
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp. (1/2 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Instructions

Step 1

First, prepare the crust: Fill a medium liquid-­measuring cup halfway with ice, add enough cold water to cover, and refrigerate.

Step 2

In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt, and pulse briefly to combine. Sprinkle the butter over the flour mixture and pulse until only pea-size crumbs remain, 10–15 times. Drizzle in 5 tablespoons of the ice-cold water, plus 1 more at a time if needed, pulsing briefly after each addition to incorporate. (Dough should look crumbly but hold together when pinched.)

Step 3

Turn out the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and form into two equal disks, each about 1 inch thick. Wrap tightly and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 425°F and set a rack in the lower third. Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin, remove one piece of dough from the fridge, and roll it out to a 1⁄8-inch-thick disk. Use the rolling pin to transfer the disk to a 9-inch pie plate. Gently tuck the dough against the sides of the pan. Then, using kitchen shears, trim any overhang that extends more than ½-inch off the edges of the pan. (Patch any holes in the bottom crust as needed.) Set the pie plate on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, and transfer to the refrigerator while you roll the second piece of dough into another 1⁄8-inch-thick disk. Refrigerate.

Step 5

Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the nectarines, berries, sugar, flour, lemon zest, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt; stir well. Retrieve the pie plate and add the filling to the center of the crust, mounding the fruit slightly in the center. Dot the filling with the butter pieces. Set the top crust in place, then tuck the top edges of the crust over the bottom edges; use a fork or your thumbs to crimp the edges to seal.

Step 6

Mix the beaten egg with 1 teaspoon water; brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash, then sprinkle with the raw sugar. Dust lightly with a little more nutmeg, if desired. Use the tip of a paring knife to cut a few 1- to 2-inch slits in the center of the top crust to allow steam to escape, then transfer the pie to the oven. Bake until the crust is lightly browned around the edges, 20–25 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F, and continue baking until the juices are syrupy and bubbling and the crust is a deep golden brown, 50–55 minutes. (If the crust browns before the filling has thickened, tent any dark parts loosely with foil.)

Step 7

Remove and let cool completely before slicing and serving.

Continue to Next Story

Want more SAVEUR?

Get our favorite recipes, stories, and more delivered to your inbox.