4ouncescold, unsalted butter, in 1/2" dice(8 tablespoons/1 stick)
2tablespoonsbuttermilk or crème fraîche
2tablespoonsice water, more as needed
Streusel:
1/4cuppowdered sugar
1/4teaspoonbaking powder
big pinch salt
6tablespoonsall-purpose flour
2ouncesunsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes(4 tablespoons/half a stick)
Nectarine Crème Fraîche Filling:
1 1/2pounds ripe nectarines or peaches, pitted and quartered(5 or 6 medium)
1/4cupgranulated sugar
seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
zest of 1/4 of a lemon
pinchsalt
6tablespoonscrème fraîche, divided use
Instructions
Make the crust:
In a large bowl, stir together the flours, sugar and salt. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour, and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles sand with lots of pea-sized butter chunks. Stir together the buttermilk and ice water. Drizzle this mixture over the flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a rubber spatula, until the dough will hold together when you give it a squeeze, adding more ice water by the teaspoon directly to the dry bits as needed.
You can call it here, or you can do either or both of the steps below for extra flake:
Option 1 - fraisage:
Dump the dough out onto a counter, divide it roughly into 8 portions, and fraisage by dragging a portion of dough across the counter using the heel of your hand. Scrape up the dough (a metal bench scraper works well here), gently press it into a ball and flatten into a disc. Slip it into a plastic bag, and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
Option 2 - roll, fold, roll:
On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough out into a rough square that is about 1/4" thick. Fold it in thirds like you're folding a letter, then roll up from a skinny end into a loose spiral. Gently press to flatten it slightly, and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove the dough from the fridge, unwrap, and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a 12" circle, dusting the dough lightly with flour as needed, rotating and flipping it to prevent it from sticking. Ease the dough into a 9" glass pie plate, fit it into the corners, and trim it to a 1" overhang. Fold the overhang under, and flute the crust by pressing it between the thumb of one hand and the index finger and thumb of the other hand. Prick the dough all over with a fork.
Chill the crust for 20 minutes, then freeze it for at least 20 minutes, until solid.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400º.
Place the frozen crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Line it with a piece of parchment paper or foil, and fill with pie weights, dry beans, or clean pennies, pressing the weights into the sides and corners of the crust.
Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, until the dough will hold its shape when you lift off the parchment, then remove the weights and parchment and bake until the bottom is dry and lightly golden, about 5 minutes longer. Reduce the oven temperature to 375ºCool the crust slightly.
While the crust bakes, make the streusel:
In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, baking powder, salt and flour. Add the butter cubes, and work with your fingers or a pastry blender until it begins to clump together. Set aside.
While the crust cools, make the filling:
In a large bowl, rub the vanilla bean seeds, lemon zest and salt into the sugar until combined. Toss in the nectarines to coat, and let sit 10 minutes.
Assemble the pie:
Spread 2 tablespoons of thecrème fraîche in the bottom of the cooled pie crust. Sprinkle 1/3 of the streusel over thecrème fraîche. Arrange the quartered nectarines over the streusel, nestling them into a single layer, and top with any extra juices. Dot with the remainingcrème fraîche, then sprinkle with the remaining streusel.
Bake the pie:
Criss-cross two long pieces of foil on a baking sheet, set the assembled pie in the middle, then fold the foil up and over the crust, scrunching as necessary so that the foil just covers the crust and leaves the filling exposed. Bake the pie until the fruit is bubbling, 50 minutes. Let cool to warm, then serve warm or at room temperature.
The pie is best the day it has been baked, but will keep for a few days in the fridge. I like to re-warm slices in the oven or toaster oven before serving.
Notes
Adapted from Deb who adapted it from Martha.I like this pie best shortly after being baked, when it has cooled but has not been out of the oven long enough that food safety standards insist that it must be refrigerated (though I'm not above eating slices straight from the fridge).The crust can be par-baked in advance and stored for a few days in the fridge, and the streusel can be made a day ahead and stored at room temperature.You may wish to make a double batch of pie dough, especially if you do the fraisage and folding options described below for extra flake, and save half of it in the freezer for a future pie.You can make your own crème fraîche by stirring 1 tablespoon buttermilk into 1 cup of heavy cream. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours until thickened. Stir, then refrigerate for up to a week or two.This is the only pie I've ever made whose crust threatened to burn before the filling baked; I added foil halfway through. Next time, I would cover the crust with foil before adding the filling, as I instruct below, to prevent it from getting so deeply caramelized.Use any flavorful, ripe but firm peaches or nectarines in this pie.Nutritional values are based on one of eight servings.