Spiced Plum Pie

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare Piecrust. Divide pastry in half; form halves into balls. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. For plum filling, in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven combine plums with 1/2 cup water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; drain well. Return plums to Dutch oven. In a small bowl stir together brown sugar, cornstarch, candied ginger, orange peel, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves; add to plums in the Dutch oven. Add vanilla. Toss gently to combine.

3. For bottom crust, on a lightly floured surface use your hands to slightly flatten one pastry ball. Roll pastry from center to edges into a circle 12 inches in diameter, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate without stretching. Trim pastry to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. In a small bowl stir together sugar and 1 Tbsp. cornstarch; sprinkle over dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

4. For top crust, roll remaining ball into a 12-inch-diameter circle or large rectangle. Use a lattice roller to roll through dough. Remove bottom crust from refrigerator; spoon in filling. Cover with lattice crust; trim edges. Crimp or decorate edge as desired. Whisk together egg and 1 Tbsp. water; brush on top crust. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

5. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the rack below the pie in the oven. Bake pie 1-1/2 to 1 3/4 hours until filling is thick and bubbly and crust is golden brown. (If after 1 hour crust is already golden, gently cover with aluminum foil for remaining baking time.) Cool on a wire rack.

Piecrust

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse together all-purpose flour, butter, sugar, and salt until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. In a small bowl whisk together ice-cold water (or 1/4 cup each vodka* and water) and lemon juice. Slowly add to the flour mixture, pulsing until dough just comes together. Squeeze a small piece of dough between your thumb and index finger to make sure it holds its shape. Follow pie recipe for dividing and refrigerating dough. *Alcohol forms less gluten (the protein in flour that can create tough dough) than water, so using half flavorless vodka will yield tender, easy-to-roll dough and an extra flaky crust.

Pie Crust:

For more control over the crimping, you can substitute 4 tablespoons of the butter with very cold vegetable shortening.