Last year (as we all know) wasn’t exactly the most pleasant we’ve ever collectively had. On top of all the unpleasantness, our family was pretty leveled when my father passed away. My parents’ house was an hour away from Jedd and I, and so this year we bought a place together with my mom.
It didn’t make sense for us to live so far apart from each other. Now, the three of us have a big backyard, and because it’s a duplex, we only trip over each other when we want to.
Did I mention that both my mother and Jedd are super avid gardeners? They are constantly putting their heads together to figure out new watering systems, or seeds, or the sunniest part of the backyard – and then they grin like maniacs when they figure out their little gardening mysteries.
The house rule is they grow it, I cook it. Talk about the world’s best arrangement, right?
Every night, weather permitting, the three of us gather in the yard for cocktails. It’s pretty blissful sitting out there amongst the thriving plants and flowers.
But, the one thing that’s missing from the garden is adult blueberry bushes. A weird spring storm took out my mother’s beloved blueberry bushes at my parent’s house before Mom moved.
So, she’s feeling a little blueberry forlorn. Mom and Jedd bought new blueberry plants, and they’re doing well – but we aren’t going to see any fruit from them for a while.
Which means Mom is on a massive hunt for all the local blueberries she can find to satisfy her summer blueberry cravings.
Hence, this gorgeous pie. It’s tangy and sweet, and kissed with cardamom.
Mom’s Nectarine Blueberry Pie
Serves 8.
Ingredients:
2 King Arthur Flour Butter Crusts (Or 2 premade refrigerated crusts)
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Hearty pinch of cardamom
3 nectarines, sliced
Juice from ½ lemon
2 cups fresh (or frozen and thawed) blueberries
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
Instructions:
While your 2 disks of pie dough are chilling in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make the filling.
Stir together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, salt and cardamom and set aside. In a large bowl, combine nectarines and lemon juice. Add berries and the sugar mixture and stir well to distribute. Let the fruit rest and start to thicken.
Roll the bottom crust to a 12” diameter. Fit into a 9” pie plate and trim to the plate edge. Add the fruit and refrigerate while working the top crust.
Roll the 2nd disk of pie dough. Using a pastry or pizza wheel, make 9 strips of dough for the lattice plus extras for the rim. Remove pie from the refrigerator and place 5 strips across the pie. Fold the middle and end strips back midway and lay one strip across the 2 remaining. Place the 3 strips back on the filling and fold the other 2 back to make room for the 2nd crosswise strip. Repeat the process to dress the other half of the pie.
Brush the top edge of the pie with egg wash and cover with a layer of dough strips. Press to seal. Brush all dough surfaces with egg wash. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake the pie on a parchment lined sheet tray. After 20 minutes, reduce the oven temp to 350. Cover the edge with foil or a silicone pie crust shield and bake another 40 minutes or until the filling bubbles in the middle.
Cool on a baking rack. Serve while just slightly warm with vanilla ice cream.