For the inaugural launch of “You Want Pies With That?,” the first thing that popped into my head with the pie fight near the end of that great American comedy classic, The Great Race. You see, the theme this month is “I LOVE That Movie!” And I DO love that movie – when my brother and I were little, it was one of the few shows we could agree to watch (without fighting). Directed by Blake Edwards, it starred Tony Curtis, Jack Lemon, Natalie Wood, and Peter Falk. What a cast.
I had to take this over to someone’s house for dinner, so I baked it in a pie dish for easy transport and it worked out wonderfully. And it was the only time I’ve ever had the hosts keep ALL the leftovers (what little remained) – MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
I used Dorie Greenspan’s wonderful pie crust recipe, substituting low fat cream cheese for the shortening. I 
spread a thin layer of this amazing mariposa plum jam on the bottom of the dough, sprinkled that with crushed amaretti cookies, and piled it high with plums, nectarines, and even an apricot or two that I had laying about. Finally, I painted an egg wash on the crust, sprinkled it with sugar, and popped it in a 425 F oven until golden brown and bubbly.
Needless to say, the dessert was fantastic. Unlike the characters in The Great Race, we did not throw it at each other. I suspect that the four of us would have polished off the pie, but we didn’t want to look like total pigs. Be sure to head over to You Want Pies With That? to see what other pies everyone decided to bake!
