Making the Best Pie for a Sunny Day

The flowers are blooming with zeal while puffy white clouds lazily drift across the blue skies of the Livermore Valley, and we are savoring this steady transition from spring to summer. To celebrate this sunny season, we have crafted a dessert that we hope will remind you of a few of your favorite things. With the ripe stone fruit of summer, the fresh zing of lemon zest and floral flourishes of elderflower, this pie is a dish of ethereal pleasure. 

Apple & Stone Fruit Sunshine Pie

• 4 apples, your variety of choice (we like honeycrisp)
• 4 small or 2 large white peaches
• 3 apricots, pitted
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 meyer lemon
• 2 tablespoons elderflower liqueur (optional)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons flour or ⅓ cup ground instant tapioca
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Your favorite double pie crust (store bought is fine)

1. To begin, prepare the fruit. Peel the apples and peaches with a paring knife, core the apples and pit the peaches and apricots. Cut the apples in half and thinly slice into half-moon shapes. Slice the apricots and peaches in slightly larger pieces. 
2. Zest and juice the lemon into a large bowl, then add the elderflower liqueur, the spices (cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg), and salt. Give it a quick stir with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the sliced fruit to the mixture, gently coating the fruit. Add the brown sugar and continue to coat until distributed. 
4. Allow this mixture to macerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. 
5. Once ready to cook, preheat oven to 425˚F. 
6. To thicken the filling, add the tapioca or flour to the filling mixture and microwave for 4 minutes, stirring halfway through. 
7. Roll out the bottom pie crust into a 9-inch pie pan and pour filling into the unbaked shell. Add the top crust, slice a small vent in the center and pinch around the sides to seal. Feel free to lattice the top or crimp the edges if desired.
8. Place the pie in the center of the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350˚F and continue baking for 40-50 minutes, until the pie is golden and the fruit is slowly bubbling. We recommend covering the edges of your pie with aluminum foil for the last 20 minutes of baking to ensure the crust does not get too dark.
9. Allow the pie to cool then dig in!

Click here for a downloadable recipe card!

Pair this pie with whatever wine you please! We recommend enjoying the feisty fruity flavors of this lightly sweetened pie with our lovely Fume Blanc. There’s nothing better than just sipping on a wine you love, with a dish you’ve made, and people you  enjoy. Cheers to that!