Nectarine Pie

Roast the almonds in a pan until they turn dark beige inside. Let them cool completely and blend into fine crumbs.

Cut the butter (150 g) into cubes (it should be very cold) and place it in a blender bowl along with flour, almond crumbs, sugar (50 g), and a pinch of salt. Blend everything together into a buttery crumb.

Separate the yolk from the white of one egg, beat the yolk with 2 teaspoons of very cold water and pour it in a thin stream into the dough while continuing to knead. After 30-40 minutes, the dough should come together in a lump. If it is too dry, add a little more cold water and mix again.

Quickly knead the dough by hand to prevent it from warming up and form it into a ball. Flatten it for even cooling, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or preferably overnight.

Cut the nectarines into wedges of 1.5–2 cm. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with 50 grams of sugar, and let them sit for about 40 minutes to release their juice.

Meanwhile, prepare the orange sauce. Grate the zest of the orange with a fine grater (only the bright top part). Squeeze the juice from the orange and combine it with the zest.

Place a heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Add 170 grams of sugar and stir continuously to prevent burning, heating it to 180 degrees (if you don't have a thermometer, bring the caramel to a dark amber color).

Add 45 grams of butter, stirring, allow the butter to melt and the caramel to become homogeneous.

Carefully pour in the orange juice with zest to avoid splashes and heat while stirring for a couple of minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove the sauce from heat and let it cool. For one pie, we need 75 grams of sauce; the remaining sauce can be stored in the fridge and served with pancakes, porridge, and fritters.

Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator, knead it with your hands (just until it becomes pliable but not too warm) and roll it into a round sheet 3-4 mm thick.

Carefully roll the dough onto a rolling pin and transfer it to a 24 cm diameter springform pan.

Lay the dough on the bottom and sides of the mold, separate the protruding edges and roll them into a ball. If the dough has warmed up, put the pie base and remaining dough in the refrigerator.

Drain the nectarines in a colander and let the liquid drain.

Rearrange the nectarines in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of starch and mix — the starch will collect the remaining juice to prevent the pie from being soggy.

Place the nectarines in the mold and spread them evenly. There's no need to arrange them beautifully — there will be a lattice of dough on top anyway.

Spread orange caramel over the nectarines.

Take the remaining dough out of the fridge, roll it to a thickness of 2 mm, and cut it into ten strips 2 cm wide and slightly longer than the diameter of the mold.

Lay the strips on the pie at an angle to create a beautiful lattice. Press the ends against the edges of the pan with a fork.

Brush the strips of dough with beaten egg and lightly sprinkle with cane sugar.

Bake the pie in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 45–50 minutes. Let the finished pie cool on a rack and serve.