#3 peach and crème fraîche pie

this pie used that sweet pâte sucrée crust my hubs loved so much from the cherry galette a few weeks ago... it was a great balance with the tartness of the crème fraîche and the tenderness of the ripe peaches..all topped off with a tasty crumble that bakes to a golden brown.

ease of recipe: pretty easy, but a lot of steps (more than your average fruit pie)
tastiness: delicate and perfect with a glass of muscato
make it again? sure

#2 lattice-top blueberry pie

blueberries are everywhere right now...so of course my next pie was going to have to be this one...and i got to make it for a dear friends birthday (2 in fact for a super duper large party!)...

martha suggested that i should also refrigerate the dry ingredients for my pate brisee for 30 minutes..so, i tried it for one of the pies...

i think it did make the dough a bit fluffier..but the end result seemed to be the same...delicious. i don't know if i would take the time to do this again..unless i was just looking to kill 30 minutes. shrug. but it was fun feeling like i was making the pie extra special. (by the way..i'm dying to try the skinny girl margarita - hiding behind the nutritious milk - apparently it's all contained and you just pour it over some ice and it has the same amount of calories as a glass of wine...).

i needed plenty of space, so i turned my dining area into my pie area.

i rolled out some dough, picked thru the berries to be sure i had only the best and the brightest...

and cut some lattice..which always is my favorite part...

and instead of crimping the edges with  my fingers, i used a fork..which gives it a vintage feel...

i used one glass pie plate..which was 10 inches and one metal at 9 inches. i think the metal pie turned out far better than the glass for several reasons: 1. it was fuller and 2. the crust was slightly flakier. i think the glass plate will be better for icebox pies..or cream pies. (note to self).

either way, i think they turned out to be a big hit.

ease of recipe: easy peasy.

tastiness: slightly tart, delicious subtle, but flaky crust

make it again?: you betcha.

#1 cherry & almond galette

i wanted to start off with something different but use an in-season fruit...and round these parts in may that would be cherries! i LOVE cherry season. i normally make a cherry pie first chance i get, but this recipe caught my eye. the crust is different from my norm..it's a bit sweeter and has cream and eggs in it and plenty of butter...

the secret to a delicious flaky crust, in my opinion, is to be sure the butter is super cold. i like to cut it up into cubes for quicker processing time...

the easiest way to get the pit and stem out of 1 1/2 pounds of cherries is to use a cherry pitter like the Westmark Cherry Pitter.

then you roast some almonds...

and grind them up with some nutmeg and sugar and add them to the cherries...

and before you know it, you're slappin' on some ice cream and enjoying a slice with a glass of pinot.

ease of recipe: easy: hard to mess up
tastiness: delicious: sweet flaky crust, plump cherries
make it again: absolutely!

let the baking begin...

i am so excited to have this book! the hubs surprised me with it a couple of days ago after i vowed to the world (well, facebook)...that if i did in fact have this book, i would make every single pie in it and share. so, he's super excited.

Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites

the problem, however, is that i have already made 3 of the pies from the book and part of it is savory pies & tarts...which i do intend to make, but not as part of the whole deal. and..some of the pies have rhubarb..which i can't have. so that leaves a total of: 130 pies and tarts. so..let's get baking!