Summer fruits and herbs go together like peaches and blueberries, strawberries and chocolate, and of course pie and ice cream — the best pairing ever! No the lovely pairing of fruits and herbs aren’t ones that automatically come to mind when you think of summer flavors, or any flavor pairing for that matter, but they are naturally and simply the best!! And when they are effortless blended together and baked in a perfectly flaky pie crust, well, there’s nothing better! If I say so myself…
Pear, Sage and Cinnamon. For me these exude Autumn. Yes, come Autumn, it becomes all about the apple and cinnamon, but pears mustn’t be overlooked any longer! I use pears in all forms from salads to pies, because there is naturally sweet airiness to them that reminds me so much of the feelings late summer/early Autumn give us.
I love this flavor combo so much, it’s bright, refreshing, so full of addictive flavors! It’s certainly not on the sweet side because I much prefer the natural flavor of each fruit to shine, particularly stone fruits, but of course feel free to add more sugar or honey if you prefer. The honey is subtly sweet and lends itself to the smooth and lovely texture that are baked apricots. Ughhh baked apricots!! I’m serious if you’ve never had them, please, please give it a try!!
And pie, a good homemade pie, one always baked with love can somehow, for a very brief but blissful moment, always make everything feel better!
Strawberry, Peach, Basil and Balsamic Galette recipe here
Plum, Lemon Balm, Lemon Thyme + Ginger Pie
{Makes 1 – 9″ Pie}
Ingredients
Double Crust Pie Dough, use your favorite recipe
9 to 10 {about 3 pounds} – Plums {firm, yet ripe + yellow – sliced}
Fresh Lemon Juice from 1 Lemon
1/2 cup – Brown Sugar {packed}
3 tablespoons – Cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon – Ground Ginger
Pinch – Ground Allspice
Pinch – Sea Salt
Splash of Hazelnut Extract, optional
Large Handful – Lemon Balm {thinly sliced}
Large Handful – Lemon Thyme {leaves removed from stems}
Egg Wash {1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon milk}
Raw Sugar, for sprinkling
RECIPE
Line your 9″ pie plate with your pie dough rolled out to 1/8″ thick, and chill. Roll out the second piece of dough for your top to 1/8″ thickness. Cut into strips for a lattice, shapes, round or desired shapes, and chill slightly.
Preheat your oven to 425*F. In a large bowl, add the sliced plums with the lemon juice. Stir in the sugar, cornstarch, ginger, salt, allspice and lemon balm and thyme. Prick the bottom of the dough in your pie plate with a fork, and sprinkle a little bit of flour. Place the filling into the pie plate, leaving any excess juices behind {too much of the juice will boil over your top crust}. Arrange your top crust pie dough atop, seal edges and crimp as desired. If dough feels a bit soft, chill set until set {about 5 to 10 minutes}.
Brush the pie lightly with the egg wash, then sprinkle generously with the raw sugar. Place the pie onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake until it begins to brown {about 20 to 25 minutes}. Lower temperature to 375*F, and continue to bake until the pie develops a deep golden brown color and juices bubble {about 35 minutes longer}.
Allow the pie to cool completely on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Pie can be refrigerated up to 3 days or at room temperature for 2 days.
Pear + Sage Pie
{Makes 1 – 9″ Pie}
Ingredients
Double Crust Pie Dough, use your favorite recipe
about 5 to 6 {about 3 pounds} – Pear {use a mix like Bartlett, D’Anjou + Bosc – sliced into 1/4″ slices}
Fresh Lemon Juice from 1 Lemon
1/2 cup – Organic Pure Cane Sugar
3 tablespoons – Cornstarch
1 tablespoon – Ground Cinnamon
Pinch – Sea Salt
Large Handful – Fresh Sage {thinly sliced}
about 6 leaves – Dried Sage
Egg Wash {1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon milk}
Raw Sugar, for sprinkling
RECIPE
Line your 9″ pie plate with your pie dough rolled out to 1/8″ thick, and chill. Roll out the second piece of dough for your top to 1/8″ thickness. Cut into a round, strips for a lattice, shapes or whatever desired shape, and chill slightly.
Preheat your oven to 425*F. In a large bowl, add the sliced pears with the lemon juice. Stir in the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and both the fresh and dried sage, crumbling the dried sage. Prick the bottom of the dough in your pie plate with a fork, and sprinkle a little bit of flour. Place the filling into the pie plate, leaving any excess juices behind {too much of the juice will boil over your top crust}. Arrange the top crust pie dough atop, seal edges and crimp as desired. If dough feels a bit soft, chill set until set {about 5 to 10 minutes}.
Brush the pie lightly with the egg wash, then sprinkle generously with the raw sugar. Place the pie onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake until it begins to brown {about 20 to 25 minutes}. Lower temperature to 375*F, and continue to bake until the pie develops a deep golden brown color and juices bubble {about 35 minutes longer}.
Allow the pie to cool completely on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Pie can be refrigerated up to 3 days or at room temperature for 2 days.
Apricot, Honey + Rosemary Galette
{Makes 1 – 9″ Galette}
Ingredients
Single Crust Pie Dough, use your favorite recipe {use double crust if you want to turn this into a pie}
12 to 14 {about 1 1/2 pounds} – Apricots {firm + sliced into eights}
Fresh Lemon Juice from 1 Lemon
1/2 cup – Honey
2 tablespoons – Cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon – Ground Nutmeg
Pinch – Ground Cinnamon
Pinch – Sea Salt
Large Handful – Fresh Rosemary {stems removed + thinly sliced}
3 or 4 sprig – Dried Rosemary {leaves removed from stems}
Egg Wash {1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon milk}
Raw Sugar, for sprinkling
Recipe
On a lightly floured surface, roll out your pie dough to a 1/8″ thick round, and chill slightly.
Preheat your oven to 400*F. In a large bowl, add the sliced apricots with the lemon juice. Stir in the honey, cornstarch, nutmeg, salt, cinnamon and both the fresh and dried rosemary, crumbling the dried into the bowl. Gently arrange the apricot pieces in a spiral all facing the same direction, about 1 1/2 to 2″ from the edge of the pie dough. Repeat until reaching the center. Gently gather the edges of the pie dough, folding and overlapping over the apricots. Drizzle a bit of the excess juice over the fruit. If dough feels a bit soft, chill set until set {about 5 to 10 minutes}.
Brush the dough lightly with the egg wash, then sprinkle generously with the raw sugar. Place the pie onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake until it begins to brown {about 20 minutes}. Lower temperature to 375*F, and continue to bake until the pie develops a deep golden brown color and juices bubble {about 25 to 30 minutes longer}.
Allow the pie to cool completely on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Pie can be refrigerated up to 3 days or at room temperature for 2 days.
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