Peach and Raspberry Pie
A rustic, lattice-topped fruit pie, built during the quietly tender baking sequence at the emotional center of Labor Day.
- prep
- 40 min
- cook
- 50 min
- total
- 1 h 30 min
- serves
- 8
- level
- medium
The pie-baking sequence in Labor Day (2013) is one of the film's most tender, drawn-out scenes, a quiet act of trust built entirely around the shared, hands-on process of two characters making a pie together.
Keeping the butter properly cold at every stage of the pastry is the real secret to those flaky layers, and giving the finished pie real time to cool before slicing is what keeps the filling from running everywhere the moment you cut into it.
Part of our 40 famous movie foods list.
method
Make the pastry: rub the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add the cold water gradually, bringing it together into a dough without overworking it. Divide in two, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
Toss the sliced peaches and raspberries with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and cinnamon, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).
Roll out one disc of dough, and line a pie dish, trimming the edges.
Fill with the peach and raspberry mixture.
Roll out the second disc, and cut into strips. Weave into a lattice pattern over the filling, trimming and crimping the edges.
Brush the lattice with beaten egg, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling.
Let it cool for at least 2 hours before slicing, so the filling has time to set.
chef's tips
- Letting the pie cool properly before slicing is genuinely important; a fruit pie cut too soon runs everywhere, since the filling needs time to set as it cools.
- Keeping the butter and water genuinely cold through every step of making the pastry is what gives the finished crust its flaky layers, rather than a dense, tough one.
- In Labor Day (2013), the pie-baking sequence is one of the film's most tender, drawn-out scenes, a quiet act of trust and intimacy between the characters built entirely around the shared, hands-on process of making a pie together.
- Tossing the fruit with cornstarch and letting it sit for a few minutes before filling the pie helps thicken the juices as they bake, rather than leaving a watery, loose filling.