Ginger Plum Pie

I’ve always loved pie. It didn’t matter the flavor. If it was hot and had a flakey crust and maybe even had a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting on top, I was in. My favorite kinds of pie have always been fruit pies. Strawberry, blackberry, blueberry… I could go on and on.

Of course the best kind of fruit pies are pies that are made when the fruit is fresh and in season. That means the best pies are made during the spring and summer because that’s when strawberries, raspberries, peaches and plums are in season. And it just so happens that plums are in season right now, which is why I’m sharing this delicious pie with you.

While I’m a huge fan of making pies, there is one thing of which I’m not a fan: making crust. I’ve never been able to get the hang of it. I have no problem chopping the fruit and mixing in the sugar and lemon juice and whatever else needs to go inside the pie, but when it comes to the crust, I’m just super intimidated. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll keep trying to make the perfect crust, but until that ah-ha moment happens, I’ll stick with store-bought crusts, thank you. (Please don’t judge me.)

Using a store-bought crust or prepared pie dough makes this pie a cinch to make. You could even buy all the ingredients this morning and have the pie made for dessert tonight. It’s seriously that easy. Why? Because once you take the crust out of the equation you only need a few things to make one of the sweetest, spiciest pies out there.

Spiciest? Yes, I said spiciest. Okay, it’s not the spiciest dessert out there, but there’s a definite bite to this pie and it’s glorious. The bite comes from the candied ginger as well as the ground ginger that’s used in both the filling as well as the struesel topping. The ginger gives the pie a little extra zing that wake up your taste buds and keep you coming back for more.

So when you head to the market, make sure you grab a bag of candied ginger and some fresh, sweet plums, because you’re gonna want to make this pie at least once before plum season is over. Once? Who am I kidding. You’ll be making it for every outdoor cookout on the calendar until the clouds roll in or plum season comes to an end.

Ginger Plum Pie (adapted from Sift)

Ingredients:

• 10 plums, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon candied ginger, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 package rolled refrigerated unbaked piecrust (2 crusts)
  
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil or grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet and set aside.
2. In a large bowl mix together the first six ingredients (through the lemon zest) and let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
3. While the filling sits, roll out 1 of the pie crusts on a floured surface. Gently put it in the prepared skillet. Brush the egg white over the inside of the crust.
4. Mix up the streusel topping: sift together the flour, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. Cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbles. Set aside.
5. Spoon the plum mixture into the prepared pie crust. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the fruit. Bake the pie for about 50 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Let cool for at least 10 minutes and serve.