This deep-dish crumb-topped pie combines several winter fruits and confirms that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The pears become soft, the apples remain slightly firm, the figs add texture and sweetness, and the tart cranberries pop in your mouth, making this rustic pie a sensory treat. Be sure to plan ahead, as this recipe calls for chilling the dough for one hour, chilling it again after you roll it out (this reduces shrinkage of the crust during baking), and then baking the pie for over an hour. It is an hours-long process, off and on, but it is worth every minute. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a glass of apple or pear brandy (preferably from Clear Creek Distillery), it is the perfect final touch to a dinner party.
Ingredients
Serves 8 to 10
Pie Pastry
Walnut Crumb Topping
Fruit Filling
Step 1
To make the pie pastry, put the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, stir to combine, then put the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Add the butter to the flour mixture and toss to evenly coat. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, a food processor, an electric mixer, or your hands, just until the mixture becomes coarse and crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Stir the water and lemon juice together, then pour over the dry ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Step 3
Dump the dough onto a well-floured work surface and press it into a 6-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Step 4
Roll the chilled dough into a 14-inch disk, then line a 9 or 10 by 3-inch springform pan with the rolled-out dough. Patch any holes and trim off any dough that hangs over the edges of the pan. Chill for an additional 30 minutes while you prepare the crumb topping and the fruit filling.
Step 5
To make the walnut crumb topping, mix the flour, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the butter, then work it in with your hands until the texture of crumbs. Put the topping in the refrigerator while you make the fruit filling.
Step 6
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 7
To make the fruit filling, remove the stem from each fig, then boil the figs in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.
Step 8
Slice each fig into 4 to 5 pieces, put them in a large bowl, and add the apples, pears, and cranberries. Separately, rub the sugar and cornstarch together, then add to the fruit and gently toss until evenly coated.
Step 9
Transfer the filling to the pie shell and top with the walnut crumb. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the crumb is golden, the fruit juices are bubbling thickly around the edges, and the fruit is tender when pierced with a wooden skewer. If the crumb is getting too dark, cover it with foil.
Step 10
Storage: Covered with a tea towel, the pie will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. Spooned into a bowl and drizzled with chilled cream, it makes a wonderful breakfast.
How would you rate Deep-Dish Winter Fruit Pie With Walnut Crumb?
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Reviews (61)
Back to TopI’ve baked this. Now to serve it once it cools can I unlock the spring pan and slice it or will it all fall apart? Is this more of a scoop out of the spring pan type of situation?
Anonymous
11/23/2022
Delicious and I made it after having a Whole Foods scarlet pie. Crust took some time but everything turned out great and everyone loved it.
Tutu
Prescott
12/12/2021
我做了这个代替全食Scarlet Pie. Made it in a 12” deep dish ceramic pie dish. I added more fruit (3 Granny Smith apples, 5 pears, 7 oz dried figs) and it was too much lol! Tart, so vanilla bean ice cream is necessary. I have a springform pan, but I love using my pretty purple, deep dish pie plate! Will use the springform pan or casserole dish next time. Very good pie!
Sharon P-Y
New Mexico
11/26/2021
I made this a few days ago. I used a 10-inch spring form pan so I "upped" ingredients in order to fill the pan. This resulted in a very tall (3"), very wide (10" diameter) mass that was awkward to handle. Everything held together en masse, until it was cut--had a little sinking/swaying of filling as I was trying to portion neat servings. Perhaps if I used more cornstarch, it might have cut more cleanly. I took the extra step of setting sugared apple/pear mixture aside for an hour, allowing the juices to exude--then straining this fruit and boiling the juices with 2 TBSP. butter to thicken the syrup (I think that's a Rose Berenbaum technique). I think the pastry mass is too much for a springform pan--better to skip the pastry and prepare this dish in a more shallow, rectangular dish without the crust. Alternatively, use a shallow tart pan and make a cookie-type pastry (pate sucre or shortbread-type crust). Loved the walnut crumble on top! Next time I would substitute the figs for luscious Medjool dates.
elainebrown51
Toronto, Canada
1/15/2017
Very good winter fruit pie. It was beautiful. I made it exactly as per the recipe maybe just not as much dried fig as recipe request but that was the only little change a made. I made the pie the day before and re-heated in oven for about 15 minutes before serving. Everyone loved the pie, I am making it again for Christmas. I serve the pie with a little crème fraiche. The pie is amazing!
odilegisele
Houston
12/17/2016
this lovely, soul-warming dessert is wonderful. apple pie cranked up a nutty, flaky, notch. i was nervous about the cranberries being too bitter/tart, but they really added just enough tang to liven up the palate. next time, i'll add a little bit more of them, and reduce the figs just a smidge. the figs were just a touch too rich. i will be making this every christmas. (also, as i was baking up a storm over the holidays and simply had no springform pans left by the time i got to this recipe, i baked it in a 8.5 x 11 glass casserole dish which worked out wonderfully (with the same crust recipe)... i think had i used the springform pan, there would have been an excessive amount of fruit.
blinkingpuddle
12/29/2014
I have made this twice and both times it was a huge hit. It's actually a pretty easy pie to make, especially if you buy the dough for the crust pre-made, as I did. It's the perfect combination of sweet and tart, smooth and crunchy. If I were going to alter it at all, it would be to add a few more cranberries to increase the tartness.
mstarkey
Portland, ME
12/27/2014
What a pie! I followed the recipe as it was written, just used dried cranberriew, I did not have fresh or frozen. It took some effort and time but it was definately worth it! The crust came out great (I used 1,5 doses for the crust and 1 dose for the filling and crumb). The walnut crumb was delicious as was the whole pie! Maybe it would be also nice with an apple-raisin filling. Definetely a keeper!!
maryannk
Athens, Greece
3/29/2014
当然,我做了一些修改这recipe (don't we all?). First, I used a frozen gluten-free pie shell from Whole Foods (not a fan). For the filling, I used an assortment of apples, some Anjou pears and at least one Bosc pear, calmyrna figs and mission figs, fresh cranberries. I also used Penzy's Apple Pie Spice blend in place of the spice in this recipe, and I used a teaspoon in the fruit mixture as well as what was called for in the topping. For the topping, I substituted oatmeal for the flour and whirred it in the food processor to a fine meal before adding the other ingredients. I have to say, this is one of the best fruit pies I have ever made. However, next time, I am skipping the bottom crust altogether and just making it a crumble. The flavor was outstanding. The fruit had a nice firm texture, the spice was perfect, I did not have a problem with too much water, but my pears were underripe and the apples juicy but not watery.
kate88books
Downingtown, Pennsylvania
11/30/2013
The walnut crumble is excellent. However, the filling was soupy (a pet peeve of mine)- perhaps needs more cornstarch. I also found the filling a bit tart for my liking. I think dried cranberries would probably yield a better result. Finally, I didn't love having both the pie crust and the crumble- seemed like overkill.
jotadito
San Rafael, CA
11/29/2013
I made this pie for Christmas dinner and everyone went totally gaga over it. It worked great in the springform pan. I followed the directions compulsively except that I omitted the figs as I didn't have any, used dried craisins, and a bit of snipped crystallized ginger. I will give it another go next weekend and try figs plus ginger.
lucyfox
NM
1/30/2013
This is my go-to pie recipe. I've made it 6 or 7 times now, for casual and more formal dinners. Always gets rave reviews. The only change I made was to use dried cranberries. The figs in it are wonderful. A definite warm winter comfort pie!
mpgallon
GA
12/18/2012
Pie crust has been my Achilles heel in the kitchen, but I hate to use store-bought crusts which always disappoint. Thrilled to say this technique turned out the most perfect flaky crust ever. The filling was excellent, but the plating was a challenge. Once I cut into the high crust, the filling wanted to tumble out of each slice. Not elegant, but man did it ever taste good. I might add a bit more cornstarch next time to bond the fruit together more, and make it in a deep dish pie pan rather than a springform. I used four small comice pears, two Granny smiths, and two Golden Delicious apples, Smallish black mission figs, and about 1-1/2 times the fresh cranberries suggested. Figs did not need pre-softening in hot water; just sliced them in half. As others have mentoned, this would be excellent as a fruit crisp without the bottom crust, but with my newfound crust success, I wouldn't skip that next time
RoniJordan
Hanover, MA
11/24/2012
Now that I live in California, there's this Apple/Walnut pie made at this bakery in New York City that I sorely miss. I've missed it so much, I've had this NY pie Fedex'd for a holiday dinner one year -- $80! Now THIS recipe makes a tremendous homage to that very pie, and for a lot cheaper than $80. I have a small apartment kitchen without specialty baking gadgets or standup mixers, so I subbed the crust with pre-made crust from TJ's or Marie Callender's. I dont use figs, and prefer to keep this a strictly apple/walnut pie. It turns out AMAZING every time -- as in, zero leftovers. Everyone loves this pie. I've used pears and cranberries in this too, but still prefer the simple Apple/Walnut combo -- mostly because it reminds me of my ol' pie place in New York City. Enjoy!
Independent_Gal
North Hollywood, CA
11/23/2012
This was a big hit at my boyfriend's family for thanksgiving. I substituted some of the figs for dates, which was nice but didn't really make much of a difference. I also added extra cornstarch, as recommended. I should have added more because a ton of liquid spilled out in the car on the way over. The filling was delicious but it was messy and didn't hold together well. Almost more the consistency of a fruit salad than a pie filling. Tasted great, but be prepared for messy serving. I overfilled, also as recommended, and was really nervous when it came out of the oven still huge. However, by the next morning it had deflated some and was much more manageable. I also used my own family crust recipe so I can't comment on that part. The topping also tasted great. Overall, a good recipe that I will certainly keep for the future.
Anonymous
Charlottesville, VA
11/23/2012
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