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Nectarine-Blueberry Pie

Nectarine-Blueberry Pie

I think this Nectarine-Blueberry Pie rivals peach pie for flavor and beats it in texture. The flesh of a nectarine is slightly firmer than that of a peach, producing a pie with an excellent texture.

Nectarine-Blueberry Pie

Print This Recipe Total time Yield 8Source Adapted from Rose Levy BeranbaumPublished
Nectarine-Blueberry Pie

Ingredients

  • pie pastry (enough for a top and bottom crust of a 9‑inch pie)
  • 8 cup sliced necatarines (unpeeled)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries (rinsed and dried)
  • 1 unknown egg yolk, mixed with 1 teaspoon water (as egg wash)
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Directions

Prepare the bottom crust: 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 s to about ½‑inch overhang. 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 should exude between 3/4 and 1 cup of juice.

In a small saucepan (preferably lined with a nonstick surface), over medium-high heat, boil down this liquid to about ½ cup. Swirl the liquid but do not stir it. Allow it to cool.

Meanwhile, transfer the drained nectarines to a bowl and toss them with the lemon zest and cornstarch until all traces of the cornstarch have disappeared. Stir the vanilla into the cooled syrup and pour it over the nectarines, tossing gently. Transfer the nectarine mixture to the prepared bottom crust and top with blueberries.

Roll out the top crust large enough to cut a 12-inch 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.

You may alternatively cut the top crust into 1 to 1 ½‑inch thick strips and make a lattice top, as I did in this example.

Preheat oven to 425°F. 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.

Just before you put the pie in the oven brush the exposed pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Set the pie directly on the foil-topped baking stone and bake at least 50 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 over-browning with a foil ring. Cool the pie on a rack for at least 3 hours before cutting.