Chloe-Rose Crabtree’s American Pie: Part One
Chloe-Rose Crabtree’s American Pie: Part One
Chloe-Rose breaks down the constituent elements of the ultimate pie – starting with the perfect berry and stone fruit compote
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Welcome to Vittles Recipes! In this weekly slot, our roster of five rotating columnists share their recipes and wisdom with you. This week’s columnist is Chloe-Rose Crabtree.
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Chloe-Rose Crabtree’s American Pie
In this season’s column, Chloe-Rose breaks down the constituent elements of the ultimate pie – starting with the perfect berry and stone fruit compote
The first season of my baking column gave a window into the ways that I develop recipes in the kitchen for Bake Street, where I work in London. For the new season I will break down, component by component, the dish that originally got me baking as a teen: pie – American-style pie to be specific.
American pies are almost always sweet, either with a curd, fruit, or custard filling. They’re similar to a tart but tend to be deeper and to have a sturdier, flaky-tender crust that I like to make more savoury than sweet. Each instalment of this season’s column will give you a building block towards making a show-stopping American pie: I will walk you through how to make flavour combinations for fillings, how to properly handle a pie pastry (and which kind of pastry to use when), and how to serve a show-stopper pie of your own. These recipes will serve as guidance for how to make the recipe your own based on your tastes and what you might have in the cupboard.
Part One: Berry and stone fruit compote
First up, I’m starting with the fruit filling – a summery compote of berries and stone fruits.
While some people are worried about having hard bodies for summer, I’m much more concerned about the soft fruits the season brings. Late-summer plums and apricots are a particular draw for me, as they evoke the childhood nostalgia of picking sweet-tart, black-skinned satsuma plums and perfumed, jammy-fleshed apricots in my grandmother’s Southern California backyard. I’m not sure why these fruits tasted so good – maybe because they were sun-warmed and eaten directly from the tree? – but I do know that I have been chasing that sense memory since the trees died over a decade ago.
When a pile of fragrant stone fruit lures me in but fails to live up to my nostalgic expectations, instead of despair, I turn to compote. Compote is a low-effort, highly customisable way to use up fruit from the pantry, fridge or freezer. It can be a cake filling, porridge sweetener, ice cream accompaniment, cheesecake topping, and more. Even better, if you make it ahead, you can bring it out as an easy dessert, served with a little whipped cream and crushed biscuits – shortbread, amaretti, and ladyfingers work particularly well.
Berries are my preferred pairing for stone fruits because they have a lot of similar flavour compounds, which means they will work with similar complementary herbs and spices and not compete with each other too much. Other complementary fruit combos to consider are pears and apples, rhubarb and berries, or rhubarb and apples.
This recipe gives you the framework for my most basic stone fruit and berry compote, and then in the notes I have shared a few suggested pairings and resources that will help you to create your own ideal blend. I like to use a mix of fruits that can be cut and kept whole. Cherries and blueberries will retain their shape in a compote, which allows for a nice burst of flavour, while cut strawberries or plums will break down and blend together. Blackberries, raspberries, and gooseberries can add a nice bit of tartness to the mix, while their seeds provide a crunch – the combination and contrast of these textures makes for a complex compote.
Soft summer fruits spoil quickly, however, they are picked and frozen at the height of their season to bring a little brightness during the winter months. Frozen fruits can also outperform fresh when cooked: because of their high water content, freezing soft fruits concentrates their flavour and results in a better taste and texture of the overall product, which is particularly good for pie fillings. I use both fresh and frozen, and sometimes a mix for this recipe, depending on what is available. So despite its summery flavours, it is a recipe you can cook year round.
Stone fruit and berry compote
Makes approx 900g (or 2 jars)
Time At least 1 hr 20 mins plus at least 30 mins’ resting