Summer

Apricot and Peach Crumb Pie

August  4, 2014
4.8
8 Ratings
  • Makes one 9-inch pie
Author Notes

Summer is pie season and in my kitchen, fruit pies reign supreme. In early summer I reach for berries, cherries, and rhubarb for my pies, but now that we are approaching the end of summer I love tucking stone fruit into a buttery crust. Peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots are all fair marks in this pie game, but some fruits -- like apricots -- are just made to be baked. Sure, I like a fresh apricot every now and then, but I think they really shine after being cooked. —Yossy Arefi

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the crust and filling:
  • 1 batch of your favorite single crust pie dough
  • 1 pound peaches (about 3 medium)
  • 1 pound apricots
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and saved for another use
  • 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Zest and juice from one lemon
  • Pinch salt
  • For the crumb topping:
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft but cool
  • Pinch salt
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
  2. Roll out the pie dough to a roughly 13-inch circle about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate and trim any uneven edges. Tuck the overhanging dough under and crimp the edges with your fingers or gently press onto the rim of the pie plate with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate the dough-lined plate while you prepare the filling and crumb.
  3. For the filling: In a large bowl, use your fingers to rub the lemon zest and vanilla bean seeds into the sugar. Stir in the nutmeg, cinnamon, flour, and salt. Rub the peaches gently with a damp paper towel to remove a bit of their fuzz, slice them into 1/4-inch slices, and add them to the bowl. Gently tear the apricots in half, remove the pits, and place the halves into the bowl too. Squeeze the lemon over the top of the fruit, then toss everything gently to combine.
  4. Make the crumb: In another bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt together until they are well combined and no lumps remain in the sugar. Add the butter and use your fingers to smush it into the dry ingredients until it is well combined and large crumbs form.
  5. Remove the pie shell from the fridge and pour in the filling; don't forget to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula to get all of those delicious juices. Evenly spread the crumbs on top of the fruit. You may need to use your fingers to break up the crumbs a bit. If the crust has gotten soft or warm, put the whole pie into the freezer until the crust is firm and cold.
  6. When you are ready to bake the pie, transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake the pie until the crust and crumbs are golden and the fruit juices are bubbling. 45 to 55 minutes. Cool slightly and serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or créme fraîche.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Adrienne
    Adrienne
  • amy.d.cutting
    amy.d.cutting
  • Susan Dahl
    Susan Dahl
Yossy Arefi is a photographer and stylist with a passion for food. During her stint working in restaurant kitchens, Yossy started the blog Apt. 2B Baking Co. where, with her trusty Pentax film camera, she photographs and writes about seasonal desserts and preserves. She currently lives in Brooklyn but will always love her native city of Seattle. Follow her work at apt2bbakingco.blogspot.com & yossyarefi.com.

3 Reviews

Adrienne September 10, 2017
This pie recipe has stood the test of time. I used the all butter + apple cider vinegar crust recipe (https://food52.com/recipes/24906-all-butter-crust-recipe ) with excellent results. Just had the last slice for breakfast this morning. My first fully from scratch pie. I'll be backing a fall variation very soon!
 
amy.d.cutting September 8, 2014
This was amazing! I unfortunately just missed apricot season (I swear I'd just seen them in the grocery store too!) so substituted nectarines and loved it. Will definitely have to make this again and try it with the apricots but even if you don't have any, still give it a shot. Totally worth it.
 
Susan D. September 1, 2014
I turned this into a crisp and also added a pound of sliced plums. I thought it was too tart and had a funny aftertaste. I think that was caused by the lemon zest which I will eliminafe next time.