Whole Wheat Pluot and Apple Pie

I recently made Whole Wheat Apple Pluot Pie, just perfect for I Heart Cooking Clubs theme of the week: Orchard Fruit. Picky husband and I took our three little monkeys to the u-pick apple orchard last weekend and had an amazing time. Just look at that gorgeous view of the orchard and my little sweeties...too fun :)

So while the apples in this recipe are fresh from the orchard, the pluots are from Sam's Club...wish we could have gone all local but the kids are in love with the pluots and we just have to buy them every week now.

Whole Wheat Apricot Pluot and Apple Pie
Tessa Kiros -- Apples for Jam

Pastry:
1 and 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup firmly pack light brown sugar
7 tbsp chilled butter, cubed
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
a few drops of vanilla extract
I had to add about 1/4 cup water to help the crust stick together but probably could have added a touch less

About 3 Apples -- I used 4 smaller ones
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp water
1 tsp cinnamon
about 10 fresh apricots, halved, or quartered if large, pits removed -- I used about 7 pluots
about 3 tbsp superfine sugar -- I just used regular sugar

To make the pastry, put the flour, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Work it all together with your fingers until you have a sandy mixture. Add the egg, extra egg yolk, and vanilla, and carry on mixing until you have a smooth ball. Wrap it up in plastic wrap, flatten, and put in the fridge for about 30 minutes. I mixed up the pastry in my food processor.

Meanwhile, peel and core the apples, and cut them into chunks. Put half of the butter in a nonstick pan and add the apple chunks, the brown sugar, and a tbsp of water. Put the lid on and cook over medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the apples collapse and turn slightly golden on the bottom. Stir in the cinnamon and squash the apples into a puree with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 400. Roll out the pastry on a sheet of parchment paper to a circle of about 12 to 13 inches, dusting with a little flour if necessary. Using the parchment paper, flip the pastry oven into an ungreased 9 and 1/2 inch springform pan. I used my heart shaped springform and plastic wrap.

Let it settle in before peeling off the paper and pressing the pastry onto the bottom and sides of the pan. Don't worry if the pastry tears, just patch it and press the gaps together.

Spread the apple over the bottom and put the apricots pluots on top. Scatter with superfine sugar, more or less, depending on the sweetness of your fruit.

Dot with the rest of the butter, then fold the pastry edge in and over to cover the edge of the filling. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top of the fruit is golden brown in places, and the pastry crisps. Serve plain or with yogurt and whipped cream. Serves 6 to 8.

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This was an absolutely delicious fall fruit recipe. All three of my kids really loved this one! Picky husband gave it a try but didn't finish his piece, he is not a big stone fruit fan. I thought it was wonderful and would make it again for sure. It wasn't really sweet, but it was sweet enough to really enjoy the fruit flavors. It would be great for a brunch. I'm sure I'll be making this one again since it was such a huge hit with the kids -- I loved it too :)