Apricot-Cherry Slab Pie
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Apricot-cherry slab pie is a portable dessert, with a buttery, flaky crust and fresh spring fruit filling. It’s perfect picnic food.
I am not, by nature, a paranoid person. When we first moved into this house, I was pleased to see that we had 3 fruit trees. We had, of course, the usual lemon and orange trees, which I think are required in California, but we also had an apricot tree! (This post was originally posted on June 13th, 2011, has been updated and contains affiliate links.)
I watched that autumn as the leaves fell off, and then again in the spring when the new growth appeared, and the little green fruits began to emerge. The tree ripens right around the second weekend in June, I know this because my mother-in-law’s birthday is Flag Day and we go out to the desert to celebrate. We ate a few of those lovely fruits, but when we returned on Sunday our tree was bare. Stripped! Not a single fruit was left. Not even a green one! Now, I don’t begrudge a greedy squirrel, bird or rat a few apricots, (although I wish they’d eat what falls on the ground)but squirrels usually don’t clean up after themselves.
This happened each year, we’d get a few and return to a bare tree! So, after the fifth year of thievery, I called the Pasadena police. But I could tell that they had far bigger fish to fry than deal with a crazy woman’s missing apricots. When we manage to outsmart the thieves, (usually the weather has something to do with it, ripening them either a little bit earlier or later) I make apricot jam, apricot chutney and Apricot Cherry Slab Pie. This recipe, from Better Homes and Gardens calls for canned apricots, in case you don’t have an apricot tree.
This apricot-cherry slab pie is perfect to take on a picnic, because you can eat it with your hands if you like.
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Apricot-Cherry Slab Pie
Ingredients
- Pastry
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 egg yolk
- Milk
- Filling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 3 15 1/4 oz cans apricot halves drained and cut into quarters
- 2 16 oz can pitted tart red cherries drained and sliced in half
- vanilla glaze
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and enough milk (5-6 teaspoons) to make it drizzly
Instructions
- For pastry, in a large mixing bowl stir together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Lightly beat egg yolk in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to egg yolk mixture to make 3/4 cup total liquid, mix well. Stir egg yolk mixture into flour mixture, mix well. set aside 1/3 of the dough.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll remaining 2/3 of the dough into an 18x12 inch rectangle. To transfer pastry, carefully wrap it around the rolling pin and then unroll into a 15x10x1 inch baking pan (pastry will hang over edges of pan). Preheat oven to 375* .
- In a large bowl combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in apricots and cherries. Spoon into the prepared crust.
- Roll the remaining dough into a 16 x 11 inch rectangle; place over fruit. Bring bottom pastry up and over top pastry. Seal edges with the tines of a fork. Prick top pastry over entire surface with the tines of the fork.
- Bake about 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Serve warm or cool. Drizzle with glaze. Makes about 24 2x3 inch bars.
- Vanilla Glaze: In a small bowl combine powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make it drizzly.
Nutrition
Looking for other portable pie recipes?
This slab pie looks delicious!
I can’t believe you have fruit thieves! There are a few fruit trees that grow in my Brooklyn neighborhood and I confess to wanting to grab a peach or an apple that hang over to the sidewalk but the owners always grab them first. Darn! Luckily you got them and got to make this pie!
When our pear tree was stripped like that, it turned out to be a BEAR! Hope yours is human. 🙂
I’ve never made a slab pie! I almost can’t believe as a pasty chef lol!!! I must make one.
I’ve never heard of slab pie but what a great idea! This looks really tasty!
Apricot preserves is one of my favorites! I bet this would be similar, plus the cherries top it off!
I love the idea of a slab pie, but I’ve never made one. I need to get on that!
Oh no! Shame on those fruit thieves!! I would say I am jealous of your fruit trees, but it sounds like they have just been a bit of trouble 🙂 This pie looks great!
That is a nice perk about living in southern california!
Wow, Cynthia! These look like you should be selling them at my farmers’ market 🙂
I wish we’d get enough to sell! Haha!
I thought you were going to say that it was a flock of birds! I can’t believe you are left wondering who does it year after year! How wild! I’ve never made a slab pie before so this may have to happen this year when apricots are in season here. My mom grows them, and they are so great for baking!
This post really gave me a good laugh. We have had similar annual experiences with one nectarine tree. At first we thought it was a needy family or gang of thieves. It was just too fast and too clean. Finally my husband put out his infra red camera in early spring, and we caught them. Raccoons. Whole families. Cousins, nephews. Fat ones breaking upper branches, young ones grabbing what they could. It’s like they must have had little backpacks on. I even put those photos on a blog post. I know it wasn’t a post about anything nectarine because I’ve yet to enjoy a ripe one before they disappear. Anyway, love your apricot pie. It’s really pretty.
We thought they were squirrels or birds at first…but now we realize that they are being stolen for their “Medicinal” properties. Laetrile is popular in mexico as an alternative cancer treatment. It comes from the kernel of the apricot pit.
Also, EVERY single piece of fruit is removed. Nothing on the ground.
This all sounds great, but when do you add the slab, and how much do you use?