While nectarines are not the first fruit you think of for making a homemade fruit pie, I promise after eating this amazing Nectarine and Blackberry Homemade Pie, you will think about them every single time!
Why Fruit Pies Are The Perfect Summer Dessert
Fruit Pie is the quintessential American dessert. You take the best fruits summer has to offer and sandwich it between flaky pie crust. Could anything be better?
If you have felt intimated about making a pie, let me give you some simple tips and tricks to help you out. I want you to love pie-making as much as I do.
Now, let's talk about nectarines. If you have never tried them in a pie before, add this to your weekend baking list.
Nectarines have long been one of my favorite summer fruits. A few years ago I decided to try them in a pie. Wasn't I surprised when I fell in love?
For this pie, I decided to use a blend of nectarines and blackberries. It was a really good idea as they are so good together!
Ingredients
- Pie dough- I wrote up a recipe post all about making the perfect pie crust. If you are new to pie making, this is a really great resource. If you don't want to take the time, go ahead and buy you favorite brand.
- Nectarines- You will want these to be sweet and ripe, but not mushy. Mushy nectarines make terrible pie!
- Blackberries- as noted above, you want them ripe, but not mushy.
- Cornstarch- Do not skip this ingredient. This will help to thicken your fruit filling. I will explain more about this below.
- Granulated sugar- you can also use coconut sugar if you prefer
- Egg- this isn't necessary, but I use it for the egg wash and it give the pie a beautiful glossy crust.
- Milk- for the egg wash as well
Notes On Making The Perfect Fruit Pie
As I mentioned above, the fruit you will use for fruit pies needs to be ripe, but not mushy. The fruit will soften enough when you bake it, you don't want to start with mushy fruit!
I do not peel my nectarines. It softens so much when you are baking, I don't think it is worth the effort to peel it before adding them to the pie.
It is important to make sure your pie dough stays chilled until it hits the hot oven. Don't get stressed out, just make sure you have all ingredients ready to go before you start rolling. Or form the bottom crust and move it to the fridge while you make the filling.
The filling needs to be thickened. Nectarines especially release a lot of juice when they are baking. I mix cornstarch in with my filling and this will thicken it while it bakes. If you aren't used to using cornstarch, this pie will change your mind!
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Roll out bottom crust on lightly floured surface. This pie can be made in a 8 or 9-inch pie pan. So, roll your dough about 2 inches bigger all the way around.
- Place the pie dough gently into your pie pan.
- Fold over the edges.
- Crimp the edges.
- Move the pie pan to the fridge for making the pie.
- I will show you below how I form my lattice pie topping. If you are doing a regular solid crust, wait to roll out the top until after you have made the filling.
- Cut up nectarines, then mix in the balckberries, sugar, and cornstarch.
- Mix well and pour into the bottom crust.
- Top with the lattice like I did, or with a regular solid crust. If you are using the solid, top, crimp to close.
- Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake until the crust is golden brown and the nectarines are tender.
How Do You Make Lattice Pie Crust?
Okay, here is a secret I learned several years ago for forming a lattice top on pies. If you have always made your lattice on top of the pie filling, you know how messy and what a pain this can be. Let me show you a better way.
This is to make the lattice top separate from the rest of the pie and place it on later. Yes, there will be space around the edges where it doesn't crimp together, but I think this is really pretty, especially with fruit pies as it allows the bubbling to happen all around the lattice. You can see this in the close-up photo below.
Trace the shape of the top of your pie onto parchment paper. It will be a round circle of about 10-inches. Make sure the line you draw is dark. Now, flip the paper over, making sure you can still see the pencil circle.
Roll your pie dough out to about ¼ inch thick on a floured surface. I did mine in a sort of oblong shape. Cut the dough into about ½-1- inch strips. This depends on how you want your lattice to look.
Now, start weaving the pie dough. Lay 6-8 of your strips vertical, pretty close together. These will go right over the top of the circle you traced. Make sure the lattice goes over the edges of the circle you traced. We want a little wiggle room for trimming later.
Then with the remaining strips, start weaving, working horizontally. If you remember this process from grade school art class, you will remember how easy this is.
I like to do the cross weave by folding back every other strip, then I don't have to remember if I am going over or under. You can see this in the bottom photo on the left.
Once you are finished weaving, straighten your strips as needed. Then trim to the circle.
Place in the freezer until the filling is done and in the bottom crust.
When you add it to the top of the filling, if it is a little big, don't stress, trim up the edges with a sharp pair of scissors.
Other Pie Filling Variations
If you are looking to change this recipe up a bit, here are my suggestions- the nectarines can easily be subbed out for peaches. No other changes are needed to the recipe.
If you want a different berry, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries all work well with this recipe. Again, sub them out for the same amount and everything else stays the same. You can even make a mix of berries if you want to get really wild!
FAQ Nectarine And Blueberry Homemade Pie
I am going to say, yes. You can also use tapioca, but cornstarch is my favorite thickener.
One thing you can do is brush it with melted or softened butter. Do this after you have rolled it out and placed it in your pan. The fat in the butter works as a barrier and keeps it from getting soggy. I also like to bake my pies in the lower half of my oven, this makes sure the bottom crust gets baked all the way through.
Of course! It is extra work and doesn't bother me, so I leave them on. I think the baking leaves the skin very soft. But, if you don't want it, peel them off.
I am always looking for pie pans that conduct heat well. I prefer glass and metal pan for pie-making. I know the ceramic pans are beautiful and look so pretty for serving, but they just don't bake as well! They are so thick and take so long to heat up. This causes your pie dough to start to melt and lose its shape. Also, I don't think it lets the butter melt as quickly as it needs to, so the crust isn't perfectly flaky!
Other Pie Recipes
- Cherry Slab Pie
- Simple Pie Pops
- Chocolate pecan pie
- Chocolate coconut pie
- Pumpkin praline pie
- Blueberry Hand Pies
- Pumpkin Maple Pie
- Apple Pie
Nectarine and Blackberry Pie
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- 9 inch pie pan
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 4 cups nectarine wedges
- 2 cups blackberries
- ½-3/4 cup sugar This is a variable. I used ½ in mine, if you like your pie a little more sweet, add in more.
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1 batch pie dough
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling on top of pie.
Instructions
- I included recipes for pie dough. If you don't have time or desire to make your own, no judgement here. There are plenty of great store bought brands out there.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Spray 9 inch round pie pan, or 9x9 pan. Roll half of your pie dough for the bottom of pie. Make sure to roll large enough to get a 1-2 inch overhang all the way around. Place in fridge while you prep the filling.Mix nectarine wedges, strawberries, sugar and cornstarch in bowl. I use a rubber spatula, so I don't break up the fruit. Pour into prepared pan.Next, decide on how you want to cover the top. I did a poor job on mine, but hey, it was just for us. It was a lattice. Whatever you choose to do will be amazing. Fold under your overlap on the bottom crust. Crimp how you choose. Mix your egg in a bowl and lightly brush over the top. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown and fruit is soft, but now mushy. If you top crust is getting too dark, cover lightly with a piece of tinfoil.Remove from oven. You can either serve immediately, or wait until it has cooled. It is easier to cut cool, but if you like it warm, I say go for it!It is delicious served on it's own, with ice cream, whip cream or even pastry cream. The sky is the limit here!Now, sit back and enjoy. You deserve it!
The Best Partial Wheat Pie Dough
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour You can also easily use 100% whole wheat, no all-purpose if you prefer
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons butter, cut in 1 inch pieces Butter should be chilled. After you cut it into chunks and are waiting to add it in, I like to pue it in the freezer to keep it really cold.
- ½ cup ice water- plus 1-3 tablespoons as needed.
Instructions
- Add salt and flours to medium-sixed bowl. Mix to combine. Next add in chilled butter. Blend in with your hands or pastry cutter. If you are using a food processor, I like to pulse it about 10 times. You will want the butter to look like cracker crumbs. Now, it is time for the water. Add in ½ cup, and mix. If you are using a food processor, pulse about 10 times again. Pinch the dough between your thumb and index finger. If it stays together and holds well, it is good to go. If it is still crumbly, add in another tablespoon or 2. Repeat the process and check again. Once it is ready to go, turn out onto a surface and knead quickly until it holds together. Divide dough in half and form into 2 disks. Wrap each one seperatly with saran wrap and place in the fridge. It is best chilled at least 2 hours. The dough can be held in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or, if you prefer, you can make it ahead and store it in the freezer, wrapped well, for up to once month. Just place in the fridge overnight before using. Now, it is ready to go! choose your favorite recipe and get to it!
Pate Brisee- all white flour
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour I love King Arthur's flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup ice water this is a variable. I almost always need another tablespoon or 2.
Instructions
- In a bowl of food processor, combine flour and salt. Add in butter and pulse. You want to still have chunks of butter in there, just not anything bigger than a pea. To this add the water. Only pulse this for several seconds, then test. Pinch the dough in your fingers. If it still seems crumbly, add more water, one tablespoon at a time. You want to work quickly because you don't want the butter to soften in dough. It's better to keep it in the chunks. This gives you the flaky crust you are looking for!When it's ready, form into disk, wrap in saran wrap and place in fridge. Let it rest and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When you are ready, use as directed in recipe. Remembering to keep the dough chilled.
Gluten Free Pie Dough
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup gluten free flour mix.
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, if not in your flour mix
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, chilled and cubed
- ¼ cup ice water.
Instructions
- Have all ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start. Make sure all ingredients are chilled. Add flour, xanthan gum and salt to food processor. Mix. Add in cubed, chilled butter. Pulse until butter is in pea sized chunks, don't overmix. You want small chunks of butter in dough. Add water and pulse again until it comes together. After the first couple seconds, check to see if you need more water. You want the dough to start to come together when you pinch it. See video for example. Wrap dough in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 3 days. Pull out and use as desired.