Serve these Sweet and Savory Late-Summer Pies
Summer is slowly coming to a close. Days will grow shorter and cooler, and the summer fruits and vegetables we all love so very much will — sob — soon be out of season.
Tastefully celebrate and savor the passing of summer, and bake a late-summer pie! Pack your homemade baked good with some of the soon-to-be-gone produce of summer.
The sweet
Summer peaches + pecans = late summer perfection
Peaches may be the perfect summer pie fruit. The following Peach-Pecan Pie appeared in NPR’s “The Pies of Late Summer” and was adapted from Nancie McDermott’s Southern Pies (Chronicle Books 2010). The pie is filled with sweet, summer peaches and topped with crisp pecans. Yum!:
Ingredients
Filling ingredients
3 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches (about 6 medium-sized peaches)
1 cup sugar [editor’s note: you can use a minimally processed and/or lower glycemic sweetener such as coconut palm sugar in a 1:1 ratio to white sugar]
2/3 cup sour cream
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Topping:
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped pecans
Method
“Prepare pie crust and chill dough at least 1 hour. Roll out and fit into a greased and floured 9-inch pie pan. Crimp edges decoratively.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
For the filling, scatter peaches over the bottom of the pie crust.
Using a whisk, combine sugar, sour cream, egg yolks and flour in a medium bowl until everything is well combined. Pour this thick, creamy sauce over the peaches.
Place the pie in the oven and bake until the custard is set and the crust is golden-brown, about 30 minutes.
While the pie is baking, make the topping.
Combine butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles peas and cornmeal. Stir in the chopped pecans and set aside.
Remove pie from the oven and scatter the pecan topping over the pie. Return pie to the oven and bake until the crumb top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.
Place pie on a cooling rack and let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes. Can be served warm or cold.”
Yields: one, 9-inch pie
Another sweet, late-summer pie:
- Berry crops are most likely bumpin’ by now. Grab a mix of garden-fresh berries and make this No-Bake Berry Pie.
- Fig-Pistachio Tarte Tatin
- Plum and Orange Flower Custard Galette
The savory
Late summer vegetables pack a perfect pie punch
If your garden survived the excessive summer heat, you likely have some extra corn and peppers in your kitchen.
Roasted Corn and Pepper Pie
Ingredients
1/2 recipe Basic Pie Dough (see here)
Filling
Peanut oil for grilling (choose another oil if you want)
6 ears corn, shucked
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
5 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. chipotle powder or chili powder
4 oz. Mexican farmer’s cheese or feta cheese, crumbled
Method
“Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Prepare the crust: roll out the dough (recipe below) on a lightly floured surface and fit it into the 9-inch pie pan. Trim the crust overhang to 1 inch and crimp the edges decoratively. Place the crust in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Prepare the filling: over high heat, “grill” the corn ears in a skillet with a few tablespoons of peanut oil. Turn partially every minute or so for 10 minutes, until the corn is mostly browned and blackened in some spots. Alternatively, you can lightly blacken the corn on a barbecue grill.
Remove the corn to a platter to cool slightly. Add a bit more peanut oil to the skillet and similarly brown and blacken the diced peppers. Remove the peppers to a medium-size bowl.
Tip: if using a barbecue grill, cook the peppers whole first, then seed and dice. When cool enough to handle, cut the corn kernels off the cobs. Add to the peppers in the bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, half-and-half, salt, and chipotle powder. Whisk until thoroughly incorporated.
Assemble the pie: fill the chilled crust with the corn and peppers, leveling the vegetables with a spatula. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and sprinkle with the cheese.
Set the pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, until the filling is golden brown on top and the eggs are cooked and not wobbly in the center.
Cool at least 30 minutes before serving.”
Savor this late-summer savory pie, too:
The Savory Summer Pie calls for two late-summer staples: peppers and tomatoes!
Yields: one, 9-inch pie
Resources:
NPR’s “The Pies of Late Summer”
http://pinterest.com/bgskcollege/late-summer-pies/
Image: Liesl
