Persimmon Plum Pie

One of my new favorite things about Missoula, is the Saturday winter market that takes place a few weeks from my house. It’s not nearly as crowded and overwhelming at the summer farmers market, but it has just as many amazing treats. In an effort to eat more local while on a strict budget, I’ve discovered that this little market is the best place to spend my money. I’m constantly in awe of the fresh produce that is offered throughout the frosty season and I’ve discovered some really delicious treats to get us through the week.

Last week, we found plums!! Beautiful, little thumb sized plums that remind me of the plums in Sweden. We immediately grabbed some and as soon as I saw them, I knew exactly what I was going to make. Persimmon Plum Pie!!

My experience with persimmons (up until recently) has been iffy. Not understanding that you have to let them get pretty soft before their flavors start to show. It’s like a nice creamy peach. YUM. I added blueberries to cut the intense sweetness with a little bit of blueberry acidity. But you can always leave this out and double up on persimmons, if you’d like!

What’s your favorite pairing with a pie? I’m going to add some homemade yogurt to mine! (Which is Connor’s contribution to the kitchen. I’m too afraid of the instant pot to do it myself. Plus, his yogurt is ahhhmazing.)

Ingredients

Filling

2 cups persimmons, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups small plums, pitted and halved
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1/4 - 1/2 cup raw sugar (depending on taste.)
1/2 tsp ground allspice
a pinch of salt

Crust

(I admittedly used a pre-made crust for this pie, because I had some in the freezer. But if you want to use handmade dough for the bottom crust of this pie, simply double the following top crust recipe and make sure to pre-bake) 
 
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp salt
7 tbs chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons ice water (or more)
1 beaten egg (for brushing)

Method

Whisk flour, salt and sugar together. Add butter, then mix together with your hands, until dough is course and crumbly. Add 4 tablespoons of water and continue to mix with your hands, adding more water if dough is dry. Once dough is sticky, form into a ball then roll out in a small disk form. Wrap with plastic wrap and keep in fridge for 1 hour or overnight. 

Pre-heat oven to 400ºF. For the filling, combine fruits, sugar, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl and let rest for 20-30 minutes or until mixture has a syrupy consistency along with the pieces of fruit.

Roll dough out into flat round circles, 1/2 a centimeter in height. Make sure the size of the dough is at least 2 1/2 inches longer than your pie pan.  Once fruit has settled, transfer to pie crust to the pie pan, covering the pie innards (ew! but cool!) and trim edges. Decorate as you please with dough trimmings and make sure to cut a few lines into the crust. In a small bowl, lightly beat an egg and brush onto pie. Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes or until crust has become golden. 
 
Let cool for at least an hour before consumption. Serve with greek yogurt or ice cream.