This is the kind of dessert you make so that you can share with old and good friends (you know, the ones that love you even when you have one of those days when you’re tired and you look like crap). Such was the vibe a couple of days ago when I made this pie and it was an instant mood elevator.

This pie has a rather unimpressive appearance and it’s quite unpretentious, but even if you don’t need to impress old and good friends, you can rest assured they will be rewarded: underneath its not too amazing top layer, there’s such wonderful flavour and taste, that you’ll be sure to wow them. As you’ll knife your way through the crust all the way to the bottom of the dish, there’ll be nice chewy macaroon on top, followed by soft fruit and then, the shortcrust-like bottom layer, pure delight.

This pie is especially easy to make and it tastes best with really ripe and sweet apricots. I didn’t have any on hand this time, so I used a couple of nectarines and they worked nice as well. If you can’t find ripe fruit for this pie, I recommend you toss them with a spoonful of honey before throwing them in the pie dish.

Summer Fruit Macaroon Pie

For the bottom crust:
170g/1 ½ cup whole wheat flour or any flour you have on hand
60g/¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
100g/½ cup unrefined sugar or any other sugar you have on hand
½ tsp sea salt
140g/10 Tblsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling:
140g/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
70g/1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of sea salt
4 large egg whites
250g/9 oz. fresh apricots (best)/peaches/nectarines, pitted and quartered
50g/1/2 cup almond flakes or chopped pistachios

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and butter a pie dish. Combine the flour, coconut, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Pour the melted butter on top and mix until the dough is no longer dusty. Fit this dough into your pie dish with your hands, making sure it is flat and even. Pop in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool for a few minutes. To make the filling, combine the coconut, sugar and salt together in a bowl, then add the egg whites and whisk. Arrange the chopped fruit on top of the bottom crust, then dollop the filling, evenly distributing it over the fruit. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden-brown. Remove from the oven, allow to cool to room temperature and drizzle with the almond flakes or chopped pistachios before serving.