This pie top was directly inspired from when I saw Christina Tosi post this shortbread disk that was topped with jam and crumble on Instagram, and it looked delicious. So to do something similar to that, because once a Milkbar member, always a Milkbar member I made a variation on that, but with a shortbread base, a blackberry-nectarine-elderflower jam, and a shortbread lattice crust just to embrace a fruit pie-aesthetic. The end result was a super gorgeous pie-cookie-hybrid-thing? I just went with calling it a Pie Top, because the ratio was heavier on the dough compared to the fruit, not saying that there was not a decent amount of fruit in the jam filling. In terms of flavor, I went with a blackberry and white nectarine combination, because that is summery, and I also included elderflower, which is a floral, lychee-like liquor that plays off of the tartness of fruit really well. White nectarines in particular are a milder flavor, so pairing that with blackberry and elderflower, which are also subtle-r ingredients, worked in guaranteeing that balance. That being said, I totally want to do another one of these, but with different fruit in the future(strawberry-rhubarb pie top, anyone?). This recipe is the perfect way to embrace summer produce, and who doesn’t like a pie-like thing during the summer?

I will honest in saying that my first attempt, while it looked great, I wound up with a layer of raw dough between the bottom crust and the jam. So for this posted recipe, I switched up the instructions to blind bake the bottom layer first, just so that as the top crust with the jam bake together with that, we don’t risk getting a soggy bottom. Hilariously, if you do end up with a soggy bottom(I’m so tempted to make jokes about this but I won’t), what we wound up doing was scraping the filling and top crust off, microwaving the bottom crust for like a minute, then adding the jam and top crust back on. It was…..not ideal, but it worked? That being said, again, we are going to bake the bottom crust entirely first, just so that when the jam and lattice are placed over that, it will not be raw at the least. For the dough, it is a shortcrust dough, so tons of butter. With the jam, it is made with fresh fruit, a little elderflower, and cornstarch, just to thicken it. For the dough itself, I had a lot of fun ensuring that it was low-waste. I started by rolling out the dough first and cutting out a lattice pattern using a 6-inch ring mold, then a smaller square cookie mold to form the lattice without me having to actually braid any dough. And then with the remaining scraps, I re-rolled that to form the bottom layer. That way, you don’t have any scraps of dough that go to waste!

For the blackberry-white nectarine jam:
3.5oz fresh blackberries
2 white nectarines, pitted and diced
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp elderflower liquor
a pinch of salt
1 tsp cornstarch

Toss the ingredients together in a bowl until the fruit is coated in everything else. Place the fruit into a pan and cook together on medium heat until the blackberries are broken down and the nectarines are tender. Allow the mixture to fully cool before attempting to use.

For the shortcrust dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg yolks, separated
coarse sugar
viola flowers

In a food processor, blend the flour, butter, salt, vanilla, and 1 egg yolk together into a dough. Refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes. Then roll out the dough to 1/16-inch thickness, then cut out a 6-inch disk. Using a 1/4-inch square cookie cutter, cut out the lattice pattern from the disk. Keep the lattice disk chilled. With the remaining bits of dough, re-roll out the dough to fill a 6-inch disk. Bake the bottom 6-inch disk at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes. Then spread the jam on top of the dough, and the lattice on top of that. Brush beaten egg yolk on top of the lattice and sprinkle coarse sugar over that. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes. Allow the pie top to cool before garnishing with the viola flowers.