Nectarine Lattice Pie

This was, hands down, the BEST crust I've ever made on a pie. I have had bad experiences in the past with not being able to roll dough out, sticky dough, etc, but this dough was so perfect and easy to use. It is now my go-to recipe for pie crusts! You can fill this pie with any sort of fruit; you just will want to keep an eye on it to make sure the filling gets done, and maybe turn the temperature down to 375 the entire time. I chose nectarines because they were in season (and are throughout the beginning of fall). Oh, and don't be intimidated by the lattice work; this was my first time doing it, and I did it in under five minutes.

It probably would've been easier to use a pastry blender to incorporate the butter, but I couldn't find mine, so if you don't own one, fingers or a fork work just fine.

The recipe called for 5 tablespoons of water, but I had to add 6 1/2 before the dough would stick together. Just start with 5, and increase by teaspoons until the dough is right.

I used my rolling pin to transfer the dough from my mat to the dish. I'd seen it on some cooking show forever ago, and it worked amazing! Tons better than the times I tried to use my hands for sure.

Simply Recipes has a wonderful tutorial for doing the lattice top pie. If you want to do a regular pie crust, just roll the other half of the dough out to 12 inches, place on top of filling, seal, and cut slits in top.

Nectarine Pie

• 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 7 c. sliced fresh nectarines (about 9 fruits)

Double Crust Pie Dough

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 5 tablespoons (or more) ice water
• Milk for crust
• 1 tbsp. sugar

Directions

• For the crust: whisk sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Add the butter and rub in with fingertips (or a pastry blender) until small pea-sized lumps form. Add 5 tablespoons of ice water. Mix lightly with a fork until the dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips. Add ice water by the teaspoon if too dry. Gather dough into a ball, and divide in half. Flatten each half into a disk, wrap separately in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes. This can be made two days ahead, just make sure to let it soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
• In a large bowl combine the 1/3 cup of sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, flour, and lemon juice. Mix well then toss with the sliced and peeled nectarines.
•  Mound fruit into pastry lined 9 inch pie plate. Do lattice crust using these instructions. Brush edge of pie with milk; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. Bake at 375 20-25 minutes more or until the crust is golden.