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¼ teaspoon white vinegar

Note: If you use toasted walnut oil, it will give the crust an even deeper taste, which may overpower some fillings.

3. Almond Crust

Makes a single crust for a 9-inch pie (can be doubled to make a top and bottom crust)

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting

1 tablespoon finely chopped slivered almonds

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

¼ cup almond oil (see Note)

2 to 3 tablespoons ice water

¼ teaspoon white vinegar

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Note: This crust is quite wet and sticky; add additional flour when dusting and rolling if it’s too much so.

A road map for Fruit Pie

Nothing beats a fruit pie made with fresh ingredients and an age-old technique. Here’s a road map for creating dozens—just mix and match fillings to crusts. Makes one 9-inch fruit pie

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F. If desired, place a single sheet of aluminum foil on a rack right below the center rack, a sheet just large enough to catch any inadvertent drips and thus make cleanup easier. (Do not place a baking sheet under the pie; the sheet will impede heat flow.)

Start making the fruit filling. Mix any of the following in a large bowl and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature so that the tapioca dissolves and the sugar begins to break down the fruit.

Apple

2¼ pounds tart fresh apples, such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Rome Beauty, Cortland, or Northern Spy, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1/3 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half, optional

1 tablespoon golden rum, optional

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg, optional

¼ teaspoon salt

Apple Cranberry

13/4 pounds tart fresh apples, such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Rome Beauty, Cortland, or Northern Spy, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

2 cups roughly chopped fresh cranberries or one 8-ounce package frozen cranberries, roughly chopped

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon ground mace or grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

Apple Ginger

2¼ pounds tart fresh apples, such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Rome Beauty, Cortland, or Northern Spy, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 teaspoons ginger juice

¼ teaspoon salt

Apricot

2 pounds fresh apricots (18 to 26 small apricots), pitted and quartered, or 2 pounds sliced frozen pitted apricots, thawed

frac34; cup sugar

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk, optional

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

Blackberry

2½ pints (5 cups) fresh blackberries or 2 pounds frozen blackberries (do not thaw)

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

¼ teaspoon salt

Blueberry

2½ pints (5 cups) fresh blueberries or 2 pounds frozen blueberries (do not thaw)

2/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

¼ teaspoon salt

Peach

2 pounds fresh peaches (about 8 medium peaches), peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced, or 2 pounds sliced frozen pitted peaches, thawed

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1½ tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

Pear

2½ pounds ripe pears, such as Anjou, Bartlett, or Comice, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

Raspberry