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Plum Pie

Plum Pie, whole

One of the things that appeals to me so much about pie is that they are both incredibly versatile and incredibly familiar at the same time. You can put just about any kind of fruit into a pie, from apples to pineapples, and still enjoy a sweet dessert with a flaky pastry crust, even though the flavor is entirely different. The process to make pies with different fruits doesn’t change much from pie to pie, either. With this in mind, it was pretty easy for me to put together a plum pie in spite of the fact that I’d never really encountered one before, by making just a couple of changes from some of my other pie recipes.

Plums are a natural choice for pie: sweet, brightly colored and firm, yet juicy. Since they’re softer than apples (quite like peaches, actually), I cut them into fairly large chunks when I prepared the filling. I also left the skins of the fruit on because the skins contribute a lot of color to plums and I wanted to make sure to capture that in the filling. It also saves a lot of time when prepping the pie if you don’t need to skin the fruit. The skins of the plums are very thin, so they are not at all distracting (hardly even noticeable at all) in the finished pie, and just boosted the color and blended in with the rest of the filling.

I kept the flavor of this pie very simple to make sure that the pie delivered a big burst of plum in every bite, only putting a small amount of vanilla extract in the filling. The finished pie was just wonderful and hit the mark I was looking for exactly. The filling was thick enough that juice didn’t ooze everywhere, but not so thick that it seemed gummy or covered up the plum flavor. It contrasted very well with the flaky crust, which I brushed with milk (to help browning) and sprinkled with sugar before baking. The flavor of the plums was amazing, and it seemed like there was just the right amount of sugar in the filling to balance all the flavors together.

I couldn’t stop eating this plain, but the plums would go amazingly well with some kind of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on the side. Serve the pie warm or at room temperature, but make sure to cool it completely before you slice it so that the filling has a chance to thicken up and set as it cools.

Plum Pie Slice

Plum Pie
1 recipe for double-crust pie dough (below)
2 lbs fresh plums (8-10, depending on size)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
3-4 tbsp [coarse] sugar

Preheat oven to 375F.
Wash plums and cut in half, removing the pits. Cut about half of the plums into quarters and half into sixths (the size variety helps them fit into the pie plate well). Place plums in a large bowl, add in sugar, cornstarch, salt and vanilla extract and stir well with a spatula. Set aside.
Roll out the bottom pie crust on a lightly floured surface, making sure there will be a bit of overhang around the edge of the pie plate, and transfer to pie plate. Fill pie crust with plum mixture. Roll out top pie crust, and lay on top of the pie plate, crimping or pinching edges to seal filling in completely.
Brush the top of the crust with milk and sprinkle generously with sugar, preferably coarse sugar. Cut 5-7 slits in the top crust with a sharp knife.
Bake for 65-75 minutes, until crust is well browned and the filling is thick and bubbling through the vents on the top of the pie.
Cool pie on a wire rack completely before slicing, to ensure that the filling thickens up and sets.

Serves 8

Double Crust Pie Dough
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into chunks
approx 2/3 cup cold water

Whisk together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in butter with your fingertips until mixture is very coarse, but no pieces bigger than a large pea remain. Using a fork, stir in cold water until dough almost comes together into a ball (you might not need to use all the water, so add it in as you go). This process may be done in the food processor, as well.
Divide dough in half and shape each half into a ball with your hands. Wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30-60 minutes before using.

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30 Comments
  • Sugar Duchess
    March 13, 2009

    I’m completely speechless. It looks absolutely perfect. Can’t wait to try it out!

  • Becks
    March 13, 2009

    Wow! That pie is BEAUTIFUL! I never thought to make pie with plums before. I am totally bookmarking this for when plums come into season – I can only get ones from chile right now. No good. Thanks for the recipe!

  • dawn
    March 13, 2009

    I love plums! I think they taste so good in a pie. I once made a cherry & plum pie…man that was good.

  • aleta
    March 13, 2009

    I want to make this like, right now. In fact, if a certain guest makes his way over tonight, I just might…

  • jaime
    March 13, 2009

    that crust looks gorgeous! and I usually never eat crusts 🙂 Sadly plum pies aren’t too popular around here but a town near me is famous for their grape pies (concord grapes) in case you ever want a challenge/hassle.

  • Elyse
    March 13, 2009

    I love the versatility of pies, too! This plum one looks absolutely divine. Perfect crust, perfect filling. I only wish I had some plums right now so I could make this!

  • Jules
    March 13, 2009

    What a beautiful pie! I like plums, but probably would not have used them in a pie. I believe you’ve made me reconsider!

  • Rachel
    March 14, 2009

    A lovely pie! I’ll have to try that once plums are in season here. I used to love Gerber plum baby food when I was a kid, but it isn’t the same once they took out the tapioca. I think this looks like an even better way to eat plums . . .

  • Hayley
    March 14, 2009

    Beautiful photography, and recipe, as always. I’m making some of your Oatmeal Molasses bread this week, thanks for all the great food! My family loves you for it!

  • Acai Berry Edge
    March 14, 2009

    Oh my, this looks absolutely delicious! I would love to get some time this week to throw this together. Although, I don’t think plums are particularly in season, maybe I should wait a bit.. But, none-the-less, wonderful post!

  • Cooking Games
    April 1, 2009

    Looks perfect. It makes me hungry.

  • Webhosting
    April 21, 2009

    Love this kind of pies but I don’t like plums, so I tried with cherries and bananas – both are great to use in traditional plum pies too.

  • Tamil Movies Online
    May 23, 2009

    I tell you what these high-resolution pics makes me drool to hell.. :PPPpppP

  • Free Website
    May 23, 2009

    I always liked pies.. And when plum is combined with it, its just a deadly combination!! Wow!

  • Organic baby clothes
    June 8, 2009

    My babies always like Organic foods, so this is good guide to make some sweets for my kids, hope this may help to make tasty bites.
    Thanks

  • club penguin cheats
    July 16, 2009

    That pie is BEAUTIFUL! I never thought to make pie with plums before. I am totally bookmarking this for when plums come into season – I can only get ones from chile right now.

  • LA lawyers
    August 24, 2009

    looks fantastic! Never tried plum pie, should be interesting.

  • houston limousine
    October 13, 2009

    I love pie and plums. I never tried it in combination though. It is an amazing concept and I fully vouch it. As the bog begins it is familiar yet versatile. But the blog and the recipe gains a lot from the high resolution picture that makes the whole post attractive. I really feel I must try it now itself.

  • Patent Infringement Lawsuit
    October 22, 2009

    I never thought to make pie with plums before. I am totally bookmarking this for when plums come into season – I can only get ones from US right now.

  • Online trading
    November 13, 2009

    I must to try plum pie. I so love plum jam.

  • Metatrader4 forex
    November 13, 2009

    I never thought to make pie with plums before. But now I want it!

  • Buy Pepper Spray
    April 21, 2010

    Fantastic – I love it… looks extremely delicious 😉

  • I also left the skins of the fruit on because the skins contribute a lot of color to plums and I wanted to make sure to capture that in the filling.

  • musk
    December 28, 2010

    Thisw is just what i’m looking for – we can’t keep up with our plum tree – but we are not complaining!
    thanks!

  • Vivian fletcher
    August 20, 2013

    This plum pie great first time I have tried plums.my friend gave me a bag of oplums of her tree.so here goes fabulous.

    Do y o u have one for bluberrys my family ate it in one go with cream mmmmmmmm

  • Vivian fletcher
    August 26, 2013

    Made this pie twice gave one to my friend who gave me the plums.she gave me a second bag for a pie each. Super not made plums before

    Will do more of your recipes My kids ate the lot xx

  • Nadya
    June 14, 2014

    I loved this, and everyone else did too! Your plums are obviously way different than ours, though. Ours are at least 75% juice, so you have to squish them rather than cutting them, and it took 15 for the pie rather than 10, and that was using the large plums in the front yard. I can’t even imagine how many of the tiny backyard plums would be necessary!

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