Recipe- Tasty Italian Autumn Prune Plum Pie With Almond Thyme Crust

Prune Plum Pie is one of my all-time favorites. It's both tart and sweet and reminiscent of a strawberry rhubarb pie. The tasty Italian plums sit in an easy to make flaky pastry that's gently flavored with almond flour and thyme. This is one dessert recipe you're not going to want to miss!

Ingredients

The Pie Filling

2 lbs prune plums
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla

The Crust

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup cold butter, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons shortening
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Method

* Begin by making the crust. Place the flour, almond flour, sugar, and sea salt in your food processor and pulse to mix. Add the butter, shortening, and thyme leaves and whizz until a grainy dough forms.

* Transfer the dough to a large bowl and add a tablespoon of cold water. Quickly work this into the dough using your fingertips.

* Note: the dough will seem too wet at this point. Divide the dough into two pieces, about ¾ of the dough for the crust and the other 1/4 for the cut out top.

* Roll into balls, cover with plastic wrap, and place the dough into your fridge. Let it rest for a half hour.

* Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper, slightly bigger than you'll want your pie crust. Sprinkle a little flour on one piece and set the larger ball of dough on top.

* Press the ball down with your hands and shape into a circle. Lay the second piece of parchment paper on top. Roll the dough into a circle about 1 ½ inches larger than your pie pan.

* Remove the top parchment piece of paper and use the bottom one to transfer the dough to the pie pan, placing it into the pan with the parchment paper up.

* Peel off the paper and press the dough into the pan and crimp the edges with your fingers. Place the pie into your fridge.

* Again using 2 pieces of parchment paper, roll out the smaller ball to about 1/4 inch thick. Use a cookie stamp to cut out the dough.

* Place the cut-outs on parchment paper on a plate or baking sheet and put them into your fridge.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

* Pit and quarter your plums and add them to a large bowl. Toss with the sugar, flour, and vanilla.

* Check the pie crust in your fridge. Once it has hardened (from the cold) add the prunes and top with the cut-outs. Place the pie on a baking sheet (to catch any drips) and immediately place it into your oven.

* Bake the pie for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the pie is bubbling at the sides. If the crust starts to brown too much, tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let the pie cool for at least a half hour before eating.