Rustic (Ugly) Fruit Pies

Rustic (Ugly) Fruit Pies

Elspeth Copeland, Food Product Developer, Canada

“As a food product developer, my work requires precision in writing formulas, and endless attention to detail. When I’m not working, making food for friends and family, I don’t want to be bound by fussy recipes and lots of measuring. But I love making pastry by hand, and, well, eating the fruits of my labour. Rustic fruit pies only require a little bit of measuring and a whole lot of improvising, which suits me just fine.

Summer is quintessential pie season. You move from strength to strength throughout the season. June is tart rhubarb with juicy strawberries. July delivers wild blueberries if you’re lucky. August brings ripe Niagara peaches and of course the “shoulder” season peach-blueberry combo. The pies I make are rustic, some may say downright ugly. They aren’t in it for looks, they here for crisp, flakey, buttery pastry and loads of sweet fresh fruit. Super easy to make, essential at the cottage when you want to eat well, but do not want to miss out on any fun on the dock.

I usually make a batch of pastry in the morning and keep it on hand in the fridge. You never know when you are going to bump into perfectly ripe fruit, so you may as well be prepared.”

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INGREDIENTS

For the pastry:

  • 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter – cold, cut into cubes

  • 1 cup organic flour

  • 1 tbsp sugar

  • 1 tsp sea salt

  • 5-6 tbsp cold water

For the filling:

  • 4 cups of fresh fruit

  • ½-3/4 cup sugar

  • Pinch sea salt

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

RECIPE

  • Mix together the flour, sugar and salt

  • Sprinkle in the butter, toss to coat each piece with flour

  • Pinch the butter through your fingers, gathering up flour as you do, until mixture resembles a coarse meal

  • Sprinkle 5 tbsp of cold water over the flour mixture (only add more water if necessary)

  • Mix well by hand until it forms a single mass. You should still be able to see pieces of butter in the dough.

Have no fear! I once had a pastry teacher tell me that “Pastry is like a dog, it senses fear”. Be firm, don’t worry. It’s just pie! If you work your pastry too much, it’ll be tough, but you’ll do better the next time.

  • Form dough into a disk approx. 4-5” in diameter.

  • Wrap in parchment and chill for at least one hour or up to two days

To assemble pie:

  • Prepare 4 cups of desired fruit

  • Toss with some of the sugar, several tbsp. When you think you’ve added enough, add one more tbsp. for good measure

  • Season with a pinch of sea salt. Peaches also like vanilla and cinnamon. Blueberries like a little lemon zest.

  • Roll out pastry on floured surface until it is 1” bigger than the pie plate

  • Carefully place pastry into pie plate

  • Sprinkle bottom with a little sugar (Stop worrying about all this sugar – it’s dessert! Besides the sugar helps to thicken the cooking fruit)

  • Take any excess flour from your rolling surface and add it to the fruit – this will also help thicken

  • Pour fruit onto pastry

  • Place butter randomly over the fruit

  • Fold over the pastry

  • Sprinkle pastry and exposed fruit with the last of your sugar

  • Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes – or until well, well baked and dark brown. This is critical, you need a nice dark brown for a crisp crust.

  • Allow to cool for at least an hour. Serve with vanilla ice cream