Recipe: Summer Fruit Pie

 This pie is not one of my creations, but it is something I look forward to every summer. The recipe was given to me by a wonderful woman, affectionately referred to as Puma (it is what her grandchildren call her). 

The summer after high school, my sister and I spent 2 weeks in up-state New York, helping our former nanny with her 5 children and their farm. Their father was in the hospital recovering from a very bad injury, so the family needed all the help they could get.

We worked hard, had to sleep on the floor because the house was only half-way remodeled, and spent most of our time there dirty and hot, but it was quite an adventure and full of wonderful memories. Animals everywhere, the kitchen in the milking barn, and ladder up to our bedroom; it was like living back in Colonial times, only we had a Volvo with a Turbo engine.

Evenings were frequently spent at Puma's 300-year-old farm house, where we enjoyed delicious meals and a beautiful view of the valley. At one point during the trip, to our great surprise, we found ourselves at the house of a member of the Kennedy family! It's all quite a long story, but I'll write more about it if you are interested :)

My sister and I loved this pie so much, that we asked for the recipe. I still have the simple list of ingredients in a notebook somewhere, but mostly I just make it from memory. For the blog, I've written it out in a bit more detail, and the only changes I've made are subtle ones, like cooking  the crust longer and adding a bit of flavoring to the whip cream. Now on to the recipe!

Ingredients:

-Pie Crust-

9 graham crackers, finally crushed

6 Tbsp butter or coconut butter, melted

¼ cup brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

-Filling-

2 to 3 nectarines, sliced

2 ½ cups berries, any kind

1 to 2 small apricots or plums, sliced

One 8 oz. container heavy whipping cream

1 tsp brandy or vanilla

1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º

1. Grind the graham crackers in a food processor or place them in a Ziploc bag and smash them with a rolling pin.

2. Place the crumbs in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir.

3. Pour the melted butter over the crumb mix and stir to distribute evenly. 

4. Next, place the mixture in a 9 inch pie pan. Use your hands to press the crumb mix evenly into the pie pan .

5. Bake for 12 minutes.

6. Don't prep the fruit until the pie crust has cooled completely. You want it to be as fresh as possible!

7. When the crust is ready to be filled, it's time to make the whipped cream. In the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy whipping cream, the sugar, and the flavoring of your choice. Mix on medium speed until stiff peaks start to form. Don't mix too long or you'll get butter!

8. Spoon the whip cream over the fruit and gently stir to combine. Now spoon this mix, or as much as possible, into the pie crust.

9. Cut, serve, and enjoy!