There is little in the world of dessert that brings me more joy than pie. They are so easy to make (way easier than you think), versatile, and are perfect for any occasion. Like because it’s tuesday. Or you happen to have a ton of strawberries to use.

This was my recent predicament. A billion pounds of strawberries picked by yours truly (and a tiny helper, although I think she ate more than went in the basket). It’s a good problem to have.

Also good are a bunch of nectarines. They’re my favorite stone fruit and I think they’re highly underused for baking. If they’re a tad on the firm side, they’ll hold up a bit better in the pie.

Two gorgeous summer fruits ready for pie. I like to leave the strawberries whole (as long as they’re small) because they retain more of their juices and give a nice little burst when they squish between your teeth.

Add a little sugar…

…and a bit of cornstarch to thicken the juices.

Toss together.

Prepare your favorite pie crust. I swear by Elise’s. Swear. By. But if you use store bought, no judgement here!

Fill.

Cover.

Slit a few holes and brush the top with butter.

Sprinkle with sugar and then set the whole pie on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Bring the excess foil up and around the pie to prevent the edges from getting too brown. Handy trick, eh? I learned it from the fantastic Sonja Groset.

Place the whole thing on a cookie sheet and bake according to your crust directions.

If you can, let the pie sit overnight before slicing (I know, I know. It’s torture.). But it will prevent the filling from being too runny. Cutting into a warm pie will yield nothing but a gloppy mess.

What’s better than that this gorgeous red filling?

Oh, right—the perfectly buttery, flaky crust. That’s what.

The nectarines balance nicely with the strawberries so the pie is not too sweet and not too tart. Perfection on a plate, if I do say so myself. Take advantage of all that gorgeous summer fruit while you can and make this pie. They didn’t coin the term “easy as pie” for nothing.

-RDG

Strawberry Nectarine Pie   printable version

This pie is a great way to take advantage of ripe summer fruit. I adore this perfect pie crust from Simply Recipes, but use whatever recipe you prefer. Makes one 9″-10″ pie. 

• 5 cups whole strawberries, washed and hulled
• 4-5 medium nectarines, sliced
• 1/2 c sugar, plus more for dusting
• 4 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• your favorite pie crust
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• vanilla ice cream (optional)

I wanted to try something new this holiday season. If your family is like ours, the dessert table is usually graced with pumpkin pie, apple pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and maybe some crazy rum-raisin tart that Aunt Millie whipped up but is completely inedible. Cranberries are left garnishing turkey and given very little room in the sweets department. I say let’s bring them back to their rightful stomping grounds. They’re so pretty, after all.

Alright, the other side of this slice isn’t quite as attractive. Those pesky cranberries like to bleed into the filling. But the filling won’t mind: its creamy sweetness can stand on it’s own. I used a combination of cream cheese and sour cream to create a sort of no-bake cheesecake, but denser and dotted with vanilla bean.

See those teeny tiny seeds? In my world there can never be too much vanilla bean. For the topping I made my own cranberry sauce, but you could easily use the stuff out of a can (I won’t judge), or use any sort of pie filling if you don’t dig cranberries. This pie would be equally excellent with sour cherry pie filling, cooked strawberries, or topped with fresh fruit in the summer.

There is one slice left in the fridge. And it is calling my name for breakfast.

Hey, I didn’t judge you for wanting to use canned cranberries. Don’t judge me for my breakfast choices.

xo

-RDG

Cranberry Cream Cheese Pie

If you choose to make your own cranberry sauce for the topping, be sure it is thoroughly chilled and set(at least overnight) before spreading it on top of the pie. Makes one 9″ pie.

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs (from roughly 10 graham crackers—usually one sealed package for most brands)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

For the filling:

• 2 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 c sour cream
• 3/4 c sugar
• seeds of 1 vanilla bean, or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

For the topping:

• 2 c cranberry sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press evenly into the bottom and 1″ up the sides of a 9″ pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Whip together filling ingredients until smooth using a stand mixer or electric handheld mixer. Spread into cooled crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Before serving, top with cranberry sauce.