I love to bake, and making pies is a favorite of mine. Luscious ripe seasonal fruit makes the most delectable pies. Who can resist a delicious piece of pie with vanilla ice cream, simple but oh so good! I especially love the combination of nectarine and blueberries. I made my own pie crust, and the recipe follows. But for a quick and easy pie, you can buy the refrigerated pie crust. I like the Pillsbury brand. Don’t be intimidated by a homemade pie crust; the more you practice, the better you become. If time is an issue, you can make the pie crust the day before and refrigerate overnight, then just roll out the dough the next day, add the filling, bake, and in no time, you have a wonderful homemade pie.

And don’t forget an enormous scope of vanilla ice cream.

Pie Crust

Makes 2 crusts

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 ” cubes

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1 Tbsp. Plus 1 tsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

Process flour, butter, vegetable shortening, sugar, and salt in a food processor until butter is crumbly, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl. Gradually add 3/4 cups ice water, using a folk stir mixture until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Filling

6 large ripe nectarines(halved, pitted, and sliced 1/2-inch thick)

1-pint blueberries washed and picked over

3/4 cups sugar

3 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

Glaze;

1 egg

1 Tsp. milk

1 Tsp. sugar(for sprinkling)

Heat oven to 425 F and adjust rack to lower to the middle position. In a large bowl, toss nectarines, blueberries, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Divide dough into two balls, one slightly larger. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger pastry ball into a circle about 2 inches larger than the 9-inch pie plate. Line pie plate with pastry, trim edge leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill the pie plate with the fruit. Roll out the smaller pastry ball for the top crust. Place on top of the fruit pie. Trim pastry edge leaving an inch overhang. Fold overhang under, then bring up over the pie-plate rim, pinch to form fluted edges. Brush top with some of the egg glaze. Make a few decorative slits in the top and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake for 40 minutes. Then brush again with remaining egg glaze, sprinkle sugar, and bake for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

I serve with my favorite vanilla ice cream Breyers!

Enjoy!