DEEP-DISH CHERRY NECTARINE PIE WITH A SPLASH OF COINTREAU

fills one 8” square ceramic baking dish or one 6½” x 8½” Pyrex ovenware dish
 
For the pie pastry-
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
6 tablespoons ice cold water
 
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a bench scraper or your fingertips, cut in the butter pieces until the mixture is crumbly with pieces of butter about the size of a pea. Combine the vinegar with the water. Gradually add the liquid to the flour/butter mixture, tossing it until the dough is somewhat shaggy and just holds together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, and gather it into two discs, one slightly larger than the other. (The larger disc will line the bottom of your baking dish. The slightly smaller disc will be used for the lattice top.) Flatten them slightly and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out.
 
If you are using a square baking dish, roll the dough into a square, roughly 12” x 12” x ⅛” thick; if using a rectangular dish, roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 12” x 10” x ⅛” thick.  Transfer the dough from the parchment to the baking dish by rolling the dough over a lightly floured rolling pin then unrolling it back over the baking dish. Smooth the dough along the bottom and up the sides. Leave an overhang of about ¾” along the sides, rolling it under to form an edge and crimping it decoratively with your fingers or a fork. On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll the second circle of dough into a large rectangle, about ⅛” thick. Cut the dough into 1” strips; don’t worry if the edges aren’t exactly the same length as the rest of the dough- you can cut and piece the lattice if necessary. Cover the bottom and top crusts with plastic wrap and refrigerate them while you prepare the filling.
 
For the filling- (adapted from Richard Sax)
 
2 lbs. ripe nectarines, rinsed, halved, pitted and sliced into ¼” thick wedges (4 generous cups)
1 lb. sweet cherries, rinsed, stemmed, halved and pitted (2½ cups)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons Cointreau
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1½ tablespoons cornstarch or finely ground Minute tapioca
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt
 
an egg wash made from one egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or cream
coarse sugar for sprinkling
 
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. To prevent the bottom crust from being under baked, it’s best to “blind bake” it first. Retrieve the baking pan from the fridge and line it with a sheet of aluminum foil, making sure the foil lines the pan snuggly and completely, extending over the edge by about an inch all the way around.  Fill the foil-lined pan with pie weights or beans. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake on the lowest rack of the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and weights/beans, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake the bottom crust for an additional 15 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.

Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. 
 
In a large bowl, toss together the nectarines, cherries, lemon juice, and Cointreau.
Add the sugars, orange zest, cornstarch or Minute tapioca, cinnamon, and salt. Use a rubber  spatula to thoroughly combine the fruit mixture with the sugar mixture. 
 
Retrieve the lattice strips from the fridge. Pour the fruit filling into the blind baked crust. Paint the top edge of the bottom crust with egg wash. Weave a lattice over the fruit; don’t worry if it isn’t perfectly “woven;” you can place half of the strips horizontally across the fruit and then place the remaining strips vertically right on top of the horizontal strips. Make sure to seal the top lattice crust to the bottom crust and brush the lattice with egg wash. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the pie and bake on the middle rack of the oven at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and continue baking for an additional 45 minutes, until the top crust is golden and the fruit bubbles thickly around the edges and through the center of the lattice. Set aside to cool for at least 2 hours if you want a clean slice. If you prefer not to wait, spoon the pie into bowls. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.