Have you ever seen these vintage mini metal pie pans? They’re about 4" wide and only ¾" inch deep or so. I think I’ve seen them at almost every estate sale and thrift store I’ve ever been to.
At some point, back in the day, mini desserts were very chic. And suddenly I feel like I missed my calling. In a world that wants outrageous desserts crammed with as many flavors as possible (and laden with as many processed calories as possible), my petite desserts are crumbs. I’m just making mini pies today. With one nectarine. It seems small. It seems like a lot of effort for two mini pies. But, they’re special little pies because they’re flecked with vanilla bean. If a sparkling crust isn’t pretty enough, a pinky-peach pie filling with black specks will win the beauty pageant.
I tried to keep it as simple as possible—you don’t even have to peel the nectarines. The thin nectarine skin melts in the oven. They’re also responsible for the pink hue. I love the skins because I think they add a bit of tartness. However, don’t forget the lemon for tartness. I made these once without lemon, and they tasted flat. As I’ve learned with juicing, lemon is important for flavor in fruit desserts. If you want to bake 4 mini pies instead of just 2, I’ll include instructions in the recipe below. From there, you can triple the recipe (or quadruple,or whatever-your-little-heart-desires). If you haven’t scooped up a few of these vintage mini pans before, you can make this recipe in muffin cups. You will get a few more pies out of it that way. I think you’ll know what to do with the leftovers. I know a puppy who might like them.
***To make 4 crusts, double the filling ingredients, except only increase the cornstarch to 3 tablespoons. The pie crust becomes: 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour2 teaspoons sugar¼ teaspoon salt5 tablespoons cold butter, diced½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar4-5 tablespoons ice cold water
