Summer Fruit No Bake Pie
• Use berries and fruits in season.
• Some of the fruit is first mashed and cooked into a thickened sauce and then the remaining fresh fruit is stirred in and the entire mixture turned out into a completely baked pastry shell and chilled.
Use a 9-inch pie plate
Filling:
4 cups any combination of fresh berries, picked over, washed, hulled, if necessary, and drained until dry, and/or cut-up peeled fresh fruit, divided (1 1/2 cups and 2 1/2 cups), Note: try blueberries and peaches, or raspberries and nectarines, or blueberries and strawberries, or plums and peaches with huckleberries; do not peel plums, nectarines or pears
2/3 to 1 cup granulated sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or more as needed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Prepare the pastry, roll it out, and line the pie plate.
• Prick the pastry bottom with a fork and chill until firm.
Preheat the oven to 425degrees F.
• Bake the shell.
• In a food processor or using a fork, mash 1 1/2 cups of the cut-up mixed fruit or berries. Measure the sugar, cornstarch, and water into a saucepan and whisk until smooth.
• Stir in the mashed fruit and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and clear.
• Stir in the lemon juice.
• Taste the cooked sauce and correct the balance of sugar and lemon if necessary.
• Stir in the butter and all the remaining cut-up fresh fruit and berries.
• Firm fruits like apples or plums are best slightly mashed into the cooked sauce, while softer fresh fruits and berries should simply be stirred in.
• Chill until partially thickened, then spoon into the cooked pastry shell and chill for at least 3 hours to set.
• Serve with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
Note — Advance preparation:
• The pastry can be baked a day in advance.
• The filling should be made early in the day, and the pie filled and set to chill at least 3 hours before serving.