Pi Day pie #1: End-of-winter fruit pie.

It's not Pi Day yet, but there's no reason to believe my first pie will be the one that hits the target. So, here's my opener in anticipation of March 14th, a dried cherry/dried apricot/apple pie in a nut crust. I'm calling it an end-of-winter fruit pie because it's made with what I have on hand as I wait for spring, summer, and fresh stone-fruits to arrive.

The recipe follows.

Filling:

1 cup dried Montmorency cherries
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup Amaretto (or substitute 1/2 c. apple juice or orange juice)

Let the dried fruit soak in the Amaretto (or juice) for a few hours.

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cardomom
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca (or flour)

Mix together then add to dried fruit mixture. Toss and let stand for 15 minutes.

Crust:

In a food processor, grind:

1 cup almonds
1 cup rolled oats

Pulse in:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add 6 tablespoons cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Gradually add about 1/3 cup very cold water, pulsing, until mixture starts to hang together. Spread evenly into 9 inch pie pan, patting crumbs down into a pie crust shape.

Put filling into crust and bake at 300 ^oF for 25-35 minutes, until edges of crust are lightly browned and fruit filling is soft.

We'll be enjoying this with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, depending on how the vote goes.