The Peach Pie Experiment

This post may be getting published in March, but I actually conducted my experiment in February.  That matters because it makes the title a lie...let me explain.

As you can probably imagine, I pay the greatest amount of attention to the Facebook posts that involve food.  Several months ago a post popped up from PBS on state foods.  The original article was written a few years ago and features only a few states, but it was enough to inspire a desire to see if I could come up with dishes that incorporated all the states' foods.  

Now, when you decide to embark on such a ridiculous quest, the only place to start is at the top (the top of the alphabet, that is).  Therefore, we have Alabama with it's state nut, state fruit, and state tree fruit - pecan, blackberry, and peach.  Enter in the lie...

It's February when I finally decide to make my secret food quest a reality.  Do you know what is wrong with this scenario?  You can't actually find peaches in the store yet.  However, fear not, you can find nectarines.  Obviously, they are not the same thing, but honestly who of us does not see the nectarine and the peach as basically interchangeable?  

Poor sad fruits, never getting any of the glory entirely on their own.  What are you going to do? Well, I couldn't be distracted by egotistical fruit while I was on a mission, so into my cart the nectarines went.  Next came the blackberries.  Finally, the pecans and my trifecta was complete.  Wait until you see what I did with these guys.

Peach Nectarine Pie with a Blackberry Oatmeal Crust

Ingredients:

2 c. quick oats

12 oz. blackberries

1 c. sugar

1 lb nectarines - sliced

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. crushed pecans

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

4 Tbsp butter - diced and cold

Directions:

Making the Crust:  In a sauce pan over medium heat, heat the blackberries until they begin to plump and break, allowing the juice to flow out.  Be careful not to overheat the fruit.  Strain the fruit through a mesh strainer.  You will need to help the process along with a spoon.  Strain fruit until you have a 1/2 cup of juice.

Because this is what the cool kids do with their Sundays.

Pour the juice back into the sauce pan and add the sugar.  Heat until the sugar dissolves completely.  In a mixing bowl, mix the juice and oats.  Once the oats are completely coated, press into a greased 9 inch pie dish.

Look at that color!

Bake the crust for 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 350F.

Preparing the Filling:  While the crust bakes, slice your nectarines.  You only need a pound, which should be about 3 good sized nectarines.  In a large mixing bowl, toss them with the lemon juice and cinnamon.

Once the crust is ready, add the filling.  I decided to be an overachiever and arranged the slices as neatly as I could.

Making the Topping:  The only thing left to do is make the crumble topping.  Mix the butter with the crushed pecans, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Sprinkle onto the pie.

Doesn't look like much yet, but just you wait!

Bake for 40 minutes at 350F.  Slice and serve!

I just love the colors of this pie!  The nectarines held up pretty well during baking so they are still a bit firm when you bit into them.  The crust is sweet, but not overpowering.  The flavor of the nectarines really shine through.  It is just such a different way to combine these flavors, I really enjoyed creating this one.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!