All eyes on nectarine pie.

I'm not a dessert person. When a good meal ends and most minds turn to something sweet, I'm the guest who craves a nice piece of cheese or another glass of wine. OK, maybe I'll sneak a bite of your flourless chocolate cake or creme brûlée (because who doesn't love flourless chocolate cake and creme brûlée?), but rarely does another catch my eye, and if it does, rarely do I indulge.

I have theories regarding my dessert indifference. One is that it stems, like so many of my food preferences, from my childhood. In my mind, we weren't a dessert family. Yes, there were always cookies in the Cookie Monster cookie jar, and boy did I love me some puddin' pops, but I remember those indulgences being just that: occasional snacks and treats, not a regular after-meal course. Another theory is that my brother got all the sweet-tooth our genes could afford. Watching my brother eat dessert is one of my most thrilling pastimes, his dedication and endurance legendary.

Last night my brother ate two pieces of this pie to my one, although I easily could've had another. Turns out, the right kind of pie is more than mere dessert: it's an event, a celebration of seasonal fruits, family (in this case, my aunt's birthday) and butter. Oh, how I love butter. And really, there's not too much in this recipe. Just a cup to make the crust nice and flaky. Inside I packed a combination of fleshy, sweet nectarines and tart blackberries from the fantastic Avila Valley Barn in San Luis Obispo, Calif., along with toasted slivered almonds. I used as little sugar as possible, wanting the fruit to shine. A little lemon juice helped keep things bright, and while so many fruit pies call for cinnamon, I used nutmeg.

Making this pie was as satisfying as eating it. Nectarines are one of my favorite fruits, and they bake beautifully, softening while retaining their shape and texture. The blackberries burst like tiny paint sacks, dotting the filling deep magenta. The almonds added crunch, and the crust was flaky in all the right ways.

Juicy, tart, earthy, sweet. Dessert, I'm eying you.

Nectarine and blackberry pie with toasted almonds

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, chilled and diced, plus 2 tablespoons more
1/2 cup ice water
5 medium nectarines, peeled, deseeded, sliced
1 1/2 cup blackberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg white, beaten (optional)

In a large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups flour and salt.

Cut in 1 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in ice water, a little at a time, until mixture becomes a doughy ball. Cut in half.

Wrap two balls in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll out to make two 9-inch pie crusts.

In large bowl, combine remaining (1/4 cup) flour, sugar, nutmeg and almonds. Gently mix in nectarines, blackberries and lemon juice and vanilla.

Line pie pan with one crust, spoon in filling, top with second crust.

Seal and flute crust edges.

Brush top pastry with egg white. Cut slits in top.

Protect edges with foil strips; these will be removed in the last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream.

Serves 6-8.