Apricot Cherry Slab Pie

Servings 12 -24 servings

Ingredients

For the pie:

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter cold and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup shortening I use non-hydrogenated
1 egg yolk
whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 15- ounce cans apricot halves drained and cut into quarters
1 14 1/2 ounce can pitted tart red cherries drained

For the glaze:

2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
water or milk

Instructions

Line a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan with 18" foil, extending the foil up and over the edges. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until well combined into flour. This should only take about one minute of blending.
Add the butter and continue to cut into the flour mixture until you have small varied size pieces no larger than peas.
In a glass measuring cup, beat egg yolk with a fork. Add enough milk to make 3/4 cup total liquid. Mix well.
Add egg mixture to flour mixture and toss and stir until well combined.
Divide dough into three equal portions; combine two of the thirds into one, leaving you with one large portion and one small portion. I used a scale for this, but you can estimate it.
Shape the large dough ball into a rectangle, then roll on a lightly floured surface into a 19x13 inch rectangle, rolling from the center outward. The dough will be thin. Make sure you are moving the dough and adding flour to the rolling surface as necessary to prevent sticking.
Trim edges to make an 18x12 inch rectangle. Use the scraps to cut leaves or other desired decorations to use later.
Wrap dough over rolling pin and transfer to the prepared pan. (Pastry will extend over ends of pan.)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare the fruit filling. In a large bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the drained cherries and quartered apricots and gentle mix until sugar mixture coats all the fruit. Spoon fruit mixture onto dough rectangle in pan.
Roll the remaining dough portion into a 16x11 inch rectangle. Cut several small holes or vents in the dough. You can create a design with your cuts, if you wish. Place dough rectangle on top of fruit filling.
Bring bottom dough rectangle up and over edges of top rectangle; fold edges towards center of pan. Seal edges with tines of fork or crimp/flute as desired.
Take cut out leaves or other designs, brush bottoms of the shapes with water, and arrange on top of pie as desired.
Bake about 45 minutes or until top is golden. Cool in pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Use foil to lift pie from pan.
Make glaze. In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar and vanilla, adding just enough milk so that the glaze drips off the spoon, about 2-3 teaspoons.
Drizzle glaze over pie. Serve pie warm or cool completely.

Recipe Notes

*To Bake Ahead: Bake and cool as directed. Cover and let stand at room temperature for up to 24 hours or chill in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Return to room temperature to serve.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Baking, 2008