Slate Magazine69%
Fruits of the forest pie is the best summer dessert. Here’s how to make it. 12%
By J. Bryan Lowder0%
6/28/2026, 9:45:00 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 29 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Quote-first Misdirection, and Indoctrination, with Anecdotal as the most egregious example at 13.5% saturation with 240 hits. Analysis detected 2,160 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,772 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 28.7% and a BS Rank of 12% (19,348 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 88.40% of the article peer group.
Earlier this month, New York Times Cooking’s Genevieve Ko made the observation that “there’s a time and place for different desserts—cake for birthdays, gingerbread for the holidays—and now is the moment for strawberry-rhubarb pie.”
Her argument: It’s the beginning of the fragile, sweet berry being in season (if you bought them before now, they’d have little flavor), and tail-end of the alien vegetable with the toxic leaves’ moment (we usually think of rhubarb as a May thing, but, at least here in the Northeast, this year has seen a somewhat-extended harvest).
While I agree with Ko that we must take advantage of this brief strawberry-and-rhubarb overlap, I part ways with her regarding the best pie for the job.
Strawberry-rhubarb may be a classic, but it is, I’m sorry to say, a tired one—predictable and wan, with the rhubarb’s signature tartness too often drowned in an oversweet strawberry sludge.
Luckily, there is a better fruit pie to fashion with these two ingredients (along with a few more).
It has thus far kept a low profile, so I’m willing to bet you’ve not yet been introduced.
Meet “fruits of the forest,” a delicious, mysterious, dare I say *provocative* pie that should join your baking repertoire immediately.
Which fruits and what forest?
These were the very questions that vexed me when I first encountered the pie at a little farm stand in upstate New York early last fall.
There, among the usual apple and cherry and blueberry offerings was this beguiling stranger, seemingly intent on holding his secrets snug within the folds of his crispy double crust.
The gentleman at the counter was willing to spill the beans, however—or rather, the mix of apples, summer berries (blue, black, rasp, and straw), and, of all things, rhubarb, that the pie contains.
A careful observer may note that none of these things really come from the forest.
No matter: It was so weird that I had to try it.
At a dinner party that evening where the pie was served, everyone raved.
The individual ingredients didn’t really make sense, coming as they did from three different seasons.
But the combination, especially when dressed with vanilla ice cream, coalesces into something that transcends all bounds culinary and temporal.
I knew I had to find out more about this wonder pie, not least why it seems to be so little known.
My research revealed that information about the fruits of the forest pie is oddly scant.
I asked a number of home and professional bakers, as well as the good folks at America’s Test Kitchen and my own grandma, if they’d even heard of it—they had not.
That said, Dan Souza, chief content officer at ATK, did point out via email that the Italian *frutti di bosco*, which is “a mixture of wild or cultivated berries that shows up as preserves, in tarts, as a gelato flavor, and more,” could have been an inspiration for the name.
Though he adds that our “quirky” pie “takes considerable liberties by incorporating rhubarb (not a fruit) and apples (not from the forest).”
The most compelling clue as to the pie’s origins came from the (seemingly defunct) recipe blog Snowflakes & Coffeecakes, helmed by one “Mama V.”
In the headnote for her fruits of the forest recipe (which is the basis for the one I offer below), she writes, “Once upon a time Sara Lee made a frozen Fruit of the Forest Pie … and it was very, very good.
And then it went away, and everyone was very sad.
But fortunately, the story does not end there!”
It does not, Mama V!
So, it may be that Sara Lee giveth and Sara Lee taketh away.
I reached out to the company to confirm this dramatic narrative and was stonewalled; likewise, Mama V did not reply to my requests for comment—I hope she is happily rolling out dough somewhere far away from the internet.
But I did discover that Sara Lee Frozen Bakery currently offers a version of the pie under its Chef Pierre line, so the story does seem plausible.
(If any readers know more about this lore, especially the timeline involved, let me know, and I’ll update this piece!)
It also strikes me as likely that fruits of the forest began as a commercial confection, given the scattershot nature of the ingredients.
While you can buy berries year-round thanks to the dark magic of Driscoll’s, rhubarb remains fairly hard to come by for us normies once its time has passed.
Speaking of which, if you plan to make this pie later in the year—it’s apparently a Thanksgiving staple in some households—you ought to dice up your rhubarb and freeze it now.
It will thaw out mushy, but in this case that’s fine; just let it drain in a sieve to remove excess moisture and then mix into your filling as normal.
Now, some of you may be like, *Hold up, who is this guy trying to push a weird mystery pie onto my Thanksgiving table?
Sounds like it could be gross.
* This is fair!
I asked Souza if, despite not being personally familiar with fruits of the forest, he could account for why the pie “works,” just based on the ingredients.
“These interlopers actually bring a lot to table,” he wrote.
“Rhubarb’s bracing acidity provides balance to a sweet berry pie.
And apple contributes plentiful pectin (something berries generally lack) that helps thicken and set looser pie fillings.”
I agree, which is why I’d say now is probably the best time to make the pie, given where we are in the agricultural calendar—second only perhaps to freezing both your rhubarb *and* your berries now, and waiting for apple season in the fall.
I’d support that choice.
But I also think that pie is the kind of thing that can bring you a great deal of joy with relatively little effort, and we never know what’s waiting for us out there in the forest of life, so it’s probably wise to gather (and bake) your fruits (and vegetable) while ye may.
Fruits of the Forest Pie
Adapted from Snowflakes & Coffeecakes
**Yield**: 8 servings
***
**_A Note About the Fruit:_* *This is the classic mix, but it’s definitely possible to swap things out, depending on the season and your taste.
I’ve used cherries in place of the strawberries, and omitted blackberries (I dislike the seeds), replacing them with an extra cup of blueberries.
In the fall, I’ve used pears instead of apples (no need to precook those) and cranberries in place of rhubarb.
Overall, you just want to maintain that balance of sweet and tart, have roughly the same amount of filling by cup, and include a hearty supportive player like the apple.
*
**Ingredients**
* 2 10-inch pie crusts (I use Ina Garten’s “foolproof” recipe, but you can use your favorite; store-bought is also fine, just be sure to get the kind you can roll out.)
* 2 large granny Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced
* Zest and juice of 1 lemon, kept separate
* Zest and juice of 1 orange, kept separate
* 1 cup sugar
* ½ cup cornstarch
* 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder (or cinnamon/other warm spices)
* ½ tsp salt
* 2 cups rhubarb (sliced)
* 1 cup strawberries (halved if large)
* 1 cup raspberries
* 1 cup blueberries
* 1 cup blackberries
* 1 tbsp orange liqueur or rum, optional
* 3 tbsp cold butter (sliced)
* Egg wash: 1 large egg + splash cold water
* Sugar or sparkling sugar (optional)
**Preparation:**
1.
Using a deep-dish, 9-inch pie plate, sprinkle the bottom with a little flour or fine corn meal to prevent sticking.
Roll out one chilled pie dough on a floured work surface to 12 inches in diameter.
Carefully place the dough into pie plate, tucking it into the bottom edge with your fingers and making sure it is smooth.
Use a small sharp knife to trim excess dough 1-inch off the edges, and flute using your fingers or use a fork to create a decorative edge.
(It’s worth watching a video of this on YouTube if you aren’t practiced at it.)
Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
2.
Adjust oven rack to lowest possible position, and place a sheet pan on it.
Preheat the oven (along with the sheet pan) to 425 F.
3.
Toss the apple slices and lemon juice together in a large nonstick pan.
Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring gently and often, until apples are tender when poked with fork but still hold their shape (about 10–15 minutes).
Let cool while you work on the rest of the filling.
4.
Place the sugar in a large bowl.
Add both the citrus zests, and work together with your fingers or a fork until distributed evenly.
Whisk in the cornstarch and Chinese five-spice powder.
5.
Add all of the fruit, including the cooled apples, to the bowl with the sugar mixture.
Add in the reserved orange juice and liqueur or rum, if using.
Toss well to combine.
Allow to sit for about 10 minutes.
6.
Remove the chilled pie plate from the oven, and spoon in the fruit mixture, mounding slightly in the middle.
Dot with the sliced butter.
7.
Remove the remaining chilled pie dough from the refrigerator.
Roll it out to about 12 inches diameter.
Top filling with second shell, crimp edges, and cut several slits to allow steam to release during baking.
8.
In a small bowl, whisk egg with a splash of water, and brush on top of crust with a pastry brush.
Sprinkle with sugar if desired.
9.
Chill the prepared pie for 30 minutes in the fridge or 15 in the freezer.
Don’t skip this step!
10.
Place the pie in oven on the hot sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes.
11.
Reduce oven temperature to 375 F and place a pie crust shield on top (or use foil to create a rough one).
Continue baking for 40–50 minutes, until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling.
Keep a close eye toward the end.
The pie will be done when the fruit juices begin to bubble up through the vents.
12.
Remove from oven and cool for at least 4 hours.
This is essential for allowing the filling to set properly.
13.
Serve, with vanilla ice cream if desired.
The pie will last for up to five days covered in the refrigerator, and is suitable for breakfast (maybe without the ice cream).
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