Summer cannot go by without having at least 1 fresh fruit pie. The first pie is always strawberry and marks the start of the summer. Peach is my favorite and usually marks the middle of summer. Growing up, we had a raspberry bush and had raspberry pies to wrap up the season. Ahh, I miss that raspberry bush.
This year I have a new all-butter pie dough from local milk blog that I’m in love with and 15 pounds of handpicked, red all the way through, strawberries, as well as a request for a fruit pie video. What a lovely little bit of serendipity in these crazy times.
So, I will roll with it and top it with a bit of fresh whipped cream!
Pie dough is not for the faint of heart. The saying: “Easy as Pie,” was written by a master pastry chef, or someone who purchases their pie dough. Seriously. Pie dough is one of the hardest things for me to pull off in the kitchen. So, goodluck, and no one will be judging over here if you just want to purchase your dough anyway.
Fresh Fruit Pie
Course: DessertIngredients
- Pie Crust
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour (plus more for rolling)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup very cold butter, cut into pea size chunks
2 Tbsp ice cold water
- Fresh Fruit Pie Filling
4-5 cups sliced strawberries, peaches, or whole raspberries
1 1/2 cup water (orange juice if using peaches)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot starch)
3 oz package jello (match the flavor with the fruit)
- Whipped cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Pie Crust
- Whisk together the flour and salt. Smoosh the butter pieces into the flour until there are no firm chunks left. Add 2 Tbsp ice water and mix with your hand until the dough is shaggy.
- Dump out onto lightly floured surface and press into a 1 inch thick rectangle. Fold like a tri-fold, roll into a rectangle, repeat two times. Shape into a thick disc, wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Roll the refrigerated disk into a large crust circle to fit your pie dish. I aim for a 12 in circle for my pie dishes. Place the rolled dough into your dish and crimp the edges the way you like them. Use a fork to pierce the bottom and sides of the pie crust. Freeze for at least 30 minutes. Set your oven to 450° F.
- Use a piece of parchment paper to line your crust, fill with pie weights (you can also use dried beans or rice for this). Place on the lowest rack in the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 425° F. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and continue baking until the crust is your desired level of golden/brown. Cool on a wire rack completely before filling.
- Fruit Filling
- Fill the cooled pie crust with your desired fruit. I like my fruit to be slightly heaping in the crust.
- Whisk water, sugar and cornstarch together in a saucepan over medium heat until it is clear and thick. Add Jell-O and stir until dissolved. Immediately pour over the fruit in the crust. Try to ensure that all of the exposed fruit on the top is coated. This will prevent that fruit from turning brown or shriveled.
- Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 3 hours before serving.
- Whipped Cream
- Combine the whipping cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar in an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.