Fresh Plum Pie

The irresistible aroma of sweet of fruit and warm spices filling your kitchen might be one of the best things coming out of your oven during the holidays. Served warm with a scoop of ice cream or cream on top, fruit pies are irreplaceable parts of the American traditions of Thanksgiving and Christmas. But you don't necessarily have to make apple or pumpkin pie to please your guests, as many other fruits make beautiful and tasty pies. Our plum pie has it all: sweet fruit, cinnamon, and butter all in a delicious filling that cooks to soft perfection between two layers of pie crust. The best part is that the mixture doesn't need to be cooked beforehand but rather can go into the pie dish after a quick mix. Beginning to end, this pie takes a little over an hour. Serve this pie at your next gathering and surprise your guests with a new and interesting flavor.

In North America, plums are in season from late May through the end of October, while in the United Kingdom the window is much shorter, just from August to early October. But now it's possible to get plums in the offseason thanks to delicious imports from China and Central and South America. Plums come in many sizes and varieties with different flavor profiles, but all share a common texture. There are black, red, purple, and yellow plums, amongst many others, which range from tangier to sweeter depending on the variety. Plums are said to be the first fruit cultivated by humans. Rich in vitamin C, they have been used in Western and alternative medicines in their fresh and dried form (prunes) as a digestive aid.

The plums we recommend for this pie are purple plums, but any sweeter variety such as Moyer, Japanese Elephant Heart, or Italian will do. If you can't find plums but do find pluots (a cross between apricots and plums with more plum character than apriums) use those instead, as their sweet favor is a great substitute for purple plums. Use homemade or store-bought pie crust and don't leave out our secret ingredient, quick-cooking tapioca which will thicken the filling without the need of cooking the fruit over the stove. Serve this great pie with ice cream, whipped cream, or a dust of powdered sugar, and keep any leftovers refrigerated and covered for up to three days.