BABY APRICOTS AND PETITE PLUMS WITH CORNMEAL CRUMBLE IN A CAST IRON SKILLET

Cream Cheese Pastry                       makes enough for one 8” cast iron skillet
                                                                  (from Kristina Migoya's Pies and Tarts)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into cubes
4 ounces cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ice cold water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

In a small bowl, whisk together the vanilla, ice cold water and lemon juice. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt. Add the cubed cream cheese to the mixer, and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles cornmeal; do not over mix. Add the cubed butter, mixing on low until the mixture is crumbly with irregular pieces of butter. Turn this out into a large bowl. Sprinkle the vanilla/water/lemon juice over the mixture and use your fingertips to gently mix the dough until it just holds together. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour before rolling out.  (You can prepare this the night before and refrigerate.) Generously butter and flour an 8” cast iron skillet. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper into a 12” circle, about ⅛” thick. Dust the pastry with a bit of flour, fold the circle in half and then in half again. Place the pastry in the center of the skillet, unfold it gently, using your fingertips to fit the dough into the bottom of the pan. Allow the excess to hang over the edge of the pan. Carefully place the dough-lined skillet in the refrigerator while you prepare the crumble and the filling.

Cornmeal Crumble
½ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornmeal
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed brown sugar
generous pinch of salt
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugars and salt. Use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to add the cold butter until you have a crumbly mixture. Refrigerate until cold. 

Apricot and Plum filling 

5 cups total, miniature apricots and plums, halved, pitted (you can substitute small peaches or nectarines for the apricots; cut them in quarters or close in size to the halved plums)
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
½ cup granulated sugar
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar (taste the fruit; if tart, use 3 tablespoons brown sugar)
1 teaspoon orange zest
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg
pinch salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch

egg wash for brushing the edge of the pastry made from one egg whisked together with 1 tablespoon of milk or heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Rinse, halve and pit the apricots and plums. Place the fruit in a large bowl, toss with the orange juice and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, zest, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and cornstarch. Remove your pastry lined skillet from the refrigerator and the cornmeal crumble.  Place the skillet on a parchment lined baking sheet. Add the sugar/spice/cornstarch mixture to the fruit, turning to coat evenly. Pour the filling into the skillet and gently fold the pastry overhang up and over the fruit, pleating it every 2” or so, leaving the center uncovered. Sprinkle the cornmeal crumble over the exposed fruit. (You should use about 1½ cups of crumble.)

Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, move the pie to the center oven rack, and continue to bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and juices from the fruit bubble thickly throughout.  Set aside to cool on a rack for at least 2 hours before serving. Keeps covered at room temperature for 2 days, covered and refrigerated for 3 days.