Summer is all about wrapping the season's best fruit in a flaky buttery crust to be crowned with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream, right? I've been very much in my galette era for the past few years, providing the most surface area for a crispy, golden crust, while also being a bit less fussy to throw together compared to a standard pic. The one thing I was missing was the joy of a precooked fruit filling, pulling out all those juices and thickening them with cornstarch into a jammy, sweet gel suspending chunks of tender fruit. I'm a big believer that we can and should have it all, so this recipe was born. We're rolling out our pie dough as if were making a galette, but then adding a precooked apple filling (though peaches or cherries would be stunning here, too) on half of the dough so we can fold over the other half to seal it into our pie calzone. Is it an actual calzone? No! But you immediately get the concept, and "jumbo hand-pie" doesn't have the same ring to it, you know? Maybe just call it the best dessert you'll bake all summer.

apple pie calzone on sheet pan in Food52 Test Kitchen

Apple Pie Calzone

This is my Italian American answer to the classic diner-style key lime pie. Nonna Romana loved the flavor, but always thought it was too sweet—so I made one she could get behind. The lime curd is tart and silky. The mascarpone keeps it grounded. The crust is no-bake and cookie-based. The whipped cream? Always homemade. It’s the kind of dessert that ends a summer dinner the right way.

Key Lime Mascarpone Tart

This bourbon apple crisp is smoky, sweet, and buttery—with bacon in the filling and gingersnaps in the topping. Best served with bourbon whipped cream.
Method: hot smoking
You’ll also need: One 10-inch cast iron skillet; 1-1/2 cups hardwood chips, for smoking


Bacon Bourbon Apple Crisp

For those of you (like myself) who could care less about pumpkin, apple, or all those pies in between, this one’s for you. A chess pie (a Southern staple) is made with a custard base, this one primarily with maple syrup and milk chocolate. It leans on the sweeter side, which is why there’s barely any regular sugar, but the salt and unsweetened whipped cream to serve help to balance it out. 

Maple & Milk Chocolate Chess Pie 

There are many ways to judge a good diner. Are the eggs cooked just right? Does the toast arrive warm and buttered? How's the coffee? But for me, a truly great diner experience hinges on one thing: the pie. There's nothing quite like a generous slice of pie to end a late-night diner run, and this Coconut & Pistachio Cream Pie is my personal gold standard. Fresh coconut milk is the star of this recipe, and thanks to Vitamix, it comes together in a flash.

Coconut & Pistachio Cream Pie

You can make the pie dough ahead of time, and keep in the freezer for up to 1 month. 

Can make the filling and assemble the pie the night before, just need to bake an additional 15 minutes to reach an internal temp of 190ºF 

Allow to cool fully before cutting. The baked pie can be kept in the refrigerator overnight before cutting. 

Plant-Based Bourbon Pecan Pie from Tourlami

Crostata is the delicious Italian version of a baked pie. Sweetened cheese is a common filling and this version, made with 

, and studded with mini chocolate chips, plays on the classic cannoli combination. A flaky pastry crust encases the sweet cream and a lattice crust makes for a fancy finish.

Ricotta Cannoli Crostata

A traditional French financier is a small, rectangular almond cake that originally got its name from its resemblance to a bar of gold, and because it was often served in Parisian cafes in the French capital’s financial district. This version is baked in a tart pan and topped with sliced pears and almonds but retains all the characteristics of a classic financier. It’s primarily made with almond flour, egg whites, sugar, and a small amount of regular flour. Since it requires very little mixing, it takes almost no active cooking time. The flavors are reminiscent of marzipan, and the texture is tender, light, and buttery—the perfect cake to serve in the afternoon with coffee or tea.

Pear Financier Torte

This recipe adds a twist to the classic pecan pie by incorporating 

 and brown butter into the filling. The whiskey adds subtle vanilla flavor and the brown butter adds nuttiness. For the crust, I made a simple all-butter pie dough, which if you’re short on time, you can make ahead and store in the freezer (or use a pre-made dough). After that, all there is to do is stir together the filling and bake off the pie. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream. 

Make the pie dough through step 2 and freeze for up to six months. Make sure to wrap it generously in plastic wrap or tin foil. 

Prepare the pie in advance, as it refrigerates well for several days (up to 3 to 4). Just allow the pie to come to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and texture.

Brown Butter Northern Irish Whiskey Pecan Pie

A tomato tart that may look fancy, but comes together easily. I make a simple tart dough, fill it with a mixture of mascarpone, ricotta, basil, and lemon, then layer sliced heirloom tomatoes on top. And because I didn’t think just one form of tomato was enough, I pile on an abundance of Sungold tomatoes dressed in olive oil and salt.

The first time I made this, I used Stracchino, a creamy and soft cow's milk cheese, but I realized it can be hard to find, so I swapped it for a blend of mascarpone and ricotta. Although it’s not a perfect substitution, the two mixed together replicate the mild and fresh flavor of Stracchino. 

If you have access to it, sub the mascarpone and ricotta with 1 (226 grams) stracchino cheese, if desired. It’s a little saltier than mascarpone and ricotta, so adjust the salt accordingly. 

Swap the heirloom tomatoes for beefsteak if you are making this out of season, and use regular cherry tomatoes (or heirloom cherry tomatoes) instead of Sungolds. 

The tart crust can be made in advance. Roll it out and place it in the pan, then wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months. 

The entire baked tart (up until step 6) can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days in advance. You could also wrap it tightly in plastic and freeze for up to two months. 

Sungold & Heirloom Tomato Tart 

These peach crumble bars are a great way to enjoy peaches while they're in season. The combination of sweet, juicy peaches and a crunchy brown sugar topping is a classic for a reason, but making bars instead of pie make them easier to enjoy throughout the week. I like to use a mixture of granulated and brown sugar in the topping for a richer flavor, and a hint of cinnamon adds warmth without overpowering the peaches. They're easy to make and perfect for back-to-school or to bring to a summer gathering or potluck. Just be sure to use ripe but firm peaches for the best results.

You can use fresh or frozen peaches for this recipe. If using frozen, thaw and pat dry with a paper towel before using.

Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste, depending on the sweetness of the peaches.

You can also add a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg on top of the crumble topping before baking for extra flavor.


Peach Crumble Bars

Believe it or not, blueberry pizza is an old-school Swedish recipe that you can find in many old cookbooks. It may sound like an odd one, but think of it like a super easy blueberry galette. (And who doesn't want that?)

It’s traditionally made with the same type of sweet yeasted dough you’d use to make cinnamon buns, but to cut down on the active baking time here, I use store-bought pizza dough. You’ll want to serve it with heavy cream (not whipped) to get the real Swedish effect, but honestly, vanilla ice cream or whipped cream would also taste great.


Blueberry Pizza 

A blueberry grunt made with sweet-corn biscuit dough finished with a honey-butter glaze and flakey sea salt. It’s a simple and utterly delicious summer dessert that I like serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I say to make more honey butter than you’ll initially need, and that's so you have extra to drizzle over your portion. 

If you’re one of the seemingly few who’s had a grunt before, you can skip over the next few sentences. But, if you’re like me and have no clue what a grunt is or how it differs from a cobbler or a “slump”, then here is what I found after some research. A grunt is essentially the same thing as a slump–which you actually may be more familiar with—but is different from a cobbler because it’s entirely cooked on the stovetop. 

To make a grunt (or slump), you cook blueberries, sugar, water, lemon, and whatever other spices you add into a compote on the stovetop, then dollop dough on top and steam them into tender, fluffy, almost cake-like biscuits (similar to when making chicken and dumplings). A cobbler, on the other hand, is baked entirely in the oven and assembled all at once rather than in two steps.

Grunt vs. cobbler definitions aside, after a few failed attempts at a traditional grunt—or what I consider more of an “unaesthetic” attempt—I decided to do a little half and half. For this final version, I cook the blueberries on the stovetop until super soft and jam-like, dollop the corn biscuit dough on top, then bake the whole thing in the oven until the biscuits are perfectly golden. This gives the biscuits more of a crumbly, soft, and true biscuit-like texture which not only I, but the whole test kitchen enjoyed more. The honey butter and flakey sea salt is the cherry on top. 

Don’t use a cast-iron skillet for this recipe unless you're confident the skillet is really well seasoned. This is because cooking with acid (lemon juice, in this case) in cast iron can erode some of the seasoning, which could alter the flavor of the dish, making it taste very metallic. I made this mistake with this recipe and can attest to this!

If you don’t have buttermilk, use 1 cup whole milk plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Let it sit for a few minutes until it begins to thicken and curdle then stir together. 


Blueberry Grunt with Honey-Glazed Corn Biscuits

More often than not when I ask people what their favorite pie is, it’s almost always key lime pie. Surprising? Not really. It’s easy and fun to make, and it has a perfect balance of sweet and sour, crumbly and creamy, buttery and salty. Although I love a classic, graham cracker crust, I chose gingersnaps here for their subtle but gingery flavor that pairs nicely with the lime. Now I don’t know if I can ever go back. (Curious to hear if you agree!) 

Before you dive into this recipe, though, you should know that I don’t call for any type of key lime, juiced or whole. The fact of the matter is, quality key limes are fairly difficult to get a hold of, and if you find them, good luck getting enough juice out of them. And since we can probably agree that fresh citrus juice is much better than store-bought, this recipe has you make a key lime juice substitute using juice from fresh regular limes and lemon juice. (Some say it’s a 1:1 ratio, some say it’s a 2:1 ratio; I’ve just done what I thought tasted best). 

Although you could get away with only chilling the pie for 30 minutes, the longer it sits, the more set it will be. I recommend at least 1 to 2 hours. 

The pie can be made in advance. Store it in the fridge without the whipped cream for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up 2 months. Decorate with whipped cream right before serving. 

Although the pie tastes best with fresh citrus juice, you can swap out the lime and lemon juice for store-bought key lime juice if you prefer. 

You can easily swap out the gingersnap cookies for the same amount of graham crackers.

Gingersnap “Key Lime” Pie

A meringue you can't mess up. A punchy-bright middle that—perhaps controversially—skips the hassle of Key limes. And a secret ingredient so obvious (shh, it’s plenty of salt in the meringue), you'll never skip it again. Meet your new favorite Key lime pie, from 

 co-owner and head baker Petra Paredez (aka Petee). As Petra writes in her cookbook 

, “Some people insist that Key lime pie can only be made with true Key limes. These tiny, super tart, and floral-scented limes originated in Southeast Asia, made their way westward, and were brought to the West Indies and Florida Keys by Spanish explorers. But Persian limes—the standard green variety you get at the grocery store—can also make for a great pie. The key (sorry!) is simply using freshly squeezed lime juice.” A few more tips: For Petra’s buttery, flaky crust (with or without coconut), see her recipes in 

. Here, we used a simple brown sugar graham cracker crust from Emma Laperruque’s 

, minus the ginger. To make sure you end up with a tall, fluffy meringue that doesn’t weep or slip-slide around the pie, be sure to start with room-temperature eggs, and don’t be afraid to whip them till billowy and stiff after the syrup has gone in. (Even if you realize you’ve overwhipped and the meringue is breaking rather than swooping nicely, Petra has found that you can let it rest for 30 minutes, then whisk again for a denser meringue she likes even better.) And one extra weep-prevention tip from former White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier, via Shirley Corriher’s 

: Sprinkle a fine dusting of cake crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs) on the curd before dolloping on the meringue, to help absorb any syrup that breaks free and meld the two layers together. Recipe adapted very slightly from 

Pie for Everyone: Recipes and Stories from Petee's Pie, New York's Best Pie Shop

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. As an Amazon Associate, Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.Hear about the process of developing this recipe, from Petra herself, on our podcast 

Key Lime Meringue Pie From Petra Paredez

This recipe brings a winter favorite—the nut crescents I bake during the December holiday season —back to summer, in the form of a tart crust. I bake it with a simple ricotta custard, which provides the perfect base for a partially cooked blueberry filling—a clever trick I picked up here on Food52 a few years ago. I reduce the sugar, however, while adding a touch of apricot jam, spiked with vanilla. 

N.B.: For a berry-heavy dessert like this, I often select slightly under-ripe berries for about a quarter of what I need for dessert, as they are more tart and just a little bit crunchy.

Ricotta Custard Blueberry Tart with Nut Crescent Crust

Here's a delicious, citrus-spiked variation of a rhubarb-frangipane galette, perfect for spring and summer. A fragrant mix of orange-zested almond cream (frangipane) and fresh rhubarb is layered over a 100% spelt flour crust which imparts a nuttier flavor than all-purpose flour. It's a great dessert choice for a relaxed outdoor gathering with friends or family, or simply as a sweet treat to enjoy on a warm afternoon with a cup of coffee.

If you don’t have a food processor, use equal parts almond meal instead (which includes the almond peel) or almond flour (which does not). Blend the frangipane ingredients until well combined using an electric mixer or do it by hand.

Swap the spelt flour out for all-purpose flour (1:1 ratio) or experiment with a blend of all-purpose and whole wheat if preferred.

A good pie or galette crust always uses a 3:2:1 ratio of 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, and 1 part water, measured by weight. This recipe follows that ratio, with adjustments including substituting all-purpose flour with spelt flour (maintaining a 1:1 ratio), adding a touch of sugar for sweetness, and including salt, especially since we’re using unsalted butter

Rhubarb Frangipane Galette With Spelt Crust

I must admit, although I love the holidays as much as the next person, I've never quite considered myself a pie person. Don't get me wrong—I'll never turn down a slice if it’s there, but it's not often that I wake up with an overwhelming desire to bake one.

That being said, I always aim to please, especially when it comes to a holiday feast. So when my friend asked me what dessert I'll be bringing for Thanksgiving this year, I felt the pressure to respond with, "some type of pie, of course." What I didn’t know yet, was what type. 

All I knew was that I didn’t want to make one of the classics, and I wanted to introduce something new to the guests at our dessert table. After some thought, and after remembering a very delicious Cranberry Curd Tart from NYC Cooking I made last year, this cranberry custard pie came to mind. 

The crust, which is usually my least favorite part to make, is made simple with store-bought shortbread cookies, melted butter, and sugar. And for the filling, I  combined a classic vanilla custard with–what is essentially–a pureed cranberry sauce. It gets finished off with a generous dollop of unsweetened whipped cream and a few sugared cranberries.


Cranberry Custard Pie with Shortbread Cookie Crust

This galette is super simple to put together, but still features a homemade crust. The resulting bake is a perfect summer baking project—or whenever you find yourself with a few too many tomato jewels. As someone who loves to make pastry crusts, I feel tomato season is one time of the year that is especially worth it to put in that extra homemade effort. Juicy tomatoes and flaky, buttery crust were positively made for each other. I’m often surprised how rarely folks opt to add something flavorful to their homemade crusts and I aim to remedy that! I’ve been known to add everything from herbs and spices, to citrus zest and vanilla bean to my pie crusts, but this salty savory crust is truly one of my very favorites. Spiked with a hefty amount of finely grated parmesan cheese and some freshly ground black pepper, this crust becomes like a tender cacio e pepe blanket that encases the tomatoes. 

The tomatoes are tucked into that crust nestled on a bed of soft, fluffy cheese, too. A blend of Boursin, cream cheese, scallions, and garlic is spread onto the base of the crust, and the tomatoes lay on top. The resulting galette is as worthy of a lazy summer supper as it is a festive celebration with friends, and slices are portable enough to transport to the beach or a picnic, too. Reheat leftover slices in a low oven—or even your toaster oven. The slices crisp up perfectly the next day; wrap them in foil if you don’t want to risk the crust over-browning as you reheat! 

Easy Tomato Galette With Parmesan Crust

Making a galette is the quickest way to a tasty tomato pie in the summer, but this roasted one is worth the extra time. But know that extra time, in this case, doesn’t mean much extra effort. Cherry or grape tomatoes (plus plenty of garlic) are first roasted slowly in the oven. Since tomatoes are notoriously juicy and high in moisture, roasting them before baking helps to concentrate those juices (not to mention 

). Later, when they are wrapped in pie crust and baked, the moisture further amplifies. Rather than weighing down the bottom crust, the mixture becomes delightfully rich and jammy instead. Plus, roasting provides the especially delicious by-product of roasted garlic. When I’m assembling the pie, I squeeze the tender roasted garlic cloves onto the surface of the dough, then use a spatula to gently mash and spread them over the surface—this flavor absolutely permeates both the dough and filling, giving you sweet roasted garlicky notes in every single bite. And since you’re spending a little extra time on this pie, why not add a decadent final touch with thick slices of brie that are laid over the tomatoes before the pie bakes. In the oven, they melt over and into the roasted tomatoes to create a creamy, gooey top layer. But just in case you’re wanting to try another route: You can swap the brie for this Southern-inspired tomato pie topper, which I learned from the fabulous cook Dora Charles from Savannah. In a small bowl, whisk ¼ cup (60 grams) mayonnaise with ½ cup (50 grams) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and spoon it over the tomatoes before folding the crust edges over to encase the filling. Since mayonnaise is made up of oil and egg, in the oven it has the most amazing effect on the pie. The oil sinks down, further enriching the tomato filling. The egg and cheese work together to form a dazzlingly crisp top crust on the surface of the pie, which yields when you slice it to reveal a thin layer of creaminess and meltiness below. Whichever topping you choose, get ready for a truly top level tomato pie.

Roasted Tomato Freeform Pie

There are so many ways to make a delicious cobbler (not to mention all the other adjacent fruit desserts like crumble, crisp, buckle, pandowdy, and more). To me, a great cobbler is lightly sweetened fruit topped with a tender biscuit topping. But, just like so many of the best baked goods, there are a lot of delicious ways to achieve that end result. Cobbler is beautifully customizable, and 

 impossible to mess up. This recipe features a biscuit “crumble” topping that uses less liquid in the biscuit dough that goes on top, giving it a more streusel-like texture after mixing. This allows you to easily sprinkle it all over the fruit for full coverage, but it then bakes up tender and soft, like biscuits would. Sour cream gives this topping a little tang as well as some lovely richness—a perfect pairing with juicy summer fruit. I like to make this with peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, or even a combination of stone fruits. In season, stone fruits are *very* juicy, and the cobbler may be juicier for it. But that is the true beauty of cobbler: If it’s juicier, just serve it in a bowl—you really can’t mess it up! Either way, add ice cream or whipped cream when you serve it to take it truly over the top. 

 If you’d like to make this with another summer favorite—berries—instead, reduce the total fruit to 3 pounds (about 1.36 kg), and cut the fruit in halves or quarters if they are large.

Stone Fruit Cobbler With Sour Cream Biscuit Topping

The concept of a cobbler—a plentiful amount of juicy produce underneath some sort of crusty topping—translates especially well to the savory side of things. This cobbler, which celebrates all the ripeness of summer, uses fresh zucchini, two types of tomatoes, and corn (plus all the juiciness that comes along with them). I like to cook the vegetable base in a skillet so that later, I can transition right into the oven. Make the biscuit dough first, and let it have some chill time in the fridge while you cook the filling. Oh, and did I mention that the biscuit dough is positively studded with sharp cheddar cheese? It’s the perfect pairing that adds an extra salty, flavorful kick to the biscuit topping. 

For this cobbler, I like to use biscuits that are more firm in texture, so I can cut them into rounds; plus it makes it easy to scoop even-sized portions from the final cobbler when it’s time to serve. If you like a more streusel-like biscuit topping, reduce the buttermilk slightly. If you like a fluffier drop biscuit topping, you can increase it slightly—the biscuit part of the recipe is extremely adaptable that way! Like most cobblers, the filling is, too. Want to add a little protein? Throw in some diced sausage or crispy tofu. Feel like mixing up the veggies? Add (or sub) in some eggplant, mushrooms, or greens into your mix. There’s no wrong way to cobbler, especially in the summer, and perhaps most especially when you’re making it savory. 

Savory Skillet Cobbler With Cheddar Biscuit Topping

It’s summer, you’ve got a bushel of fresh berries from the farmers' market or your favorite roadside stand—how do you decide which delicious way to celebrate them in dessert form? There’s cobbler; loads of sweet, juicy fruit underneath tender biscuit topping. But there’s also pie; that same gorgeous fruit wrapped in a flaky, buttery pastry crust. Perhaps it is being the maximalist by nature host of 

 that caused me to wonder: Why choose just one, when you can have both? The beauty of cobbler is that it’s juicy, so you don’t have to worry about the slice-ability element that comes into play with pie. With this pie, I truly blend the concepts of both—it’s notably juicier than my typical fruit pies, but also firmer than most cobblers. The biscuit on top is a fluffy drop-biscuit style which is super simple to make, especially in this small-batch form, which produces only enough biscuit to top the surface of the pie. You can scoop it onto the top however you wish, leaving space for berries to bubble through, or covering the majority of the fruit (just aim to keep it in a fairly even layer so it bakes evenly, too). I love the combinations of textures in this pie. Crisp outer crust, just-sweet-enough fruity interior, and the biscuit itself which has multiple different textures: Crisp on top, fluffy inside, and jam-slicked where it touches the filling. You can serve this with ice cream, whipped cream, or my personal favorite…a drizzle of plain, cold heavy cream, which swirls with the syrupy juices and into every bite.

Deep-Dish Berry Cobbler Pie

If you love banana pudding and s’mores, you are going to LOVE this pie. I have added a touch of coconut to creamy rich banana pudding for warm tropical vibes, but have it set over a buttery graham cracker crust topped with melted dark chocolate and a toasted marshmallow meringue. This pie has all the flavor of my favorite childhood desserts; it is nostalgic with a couple of new twists to make it a little more elegant, but it's still very fun.

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