Pie whole

Kira O’Donnell used to run the fabulous Real Pie Company downtown. Now, she’s the event coordinator for the UC Davis Good Life Garden, but she still dreams of pie all the time. I asked for her favorite summer flavors.

“I really like to mix fruits, like peach-rhubarb or peach-blueberry. You get gorgeous colors, and the other fruits help the peach flavor to stay bright.

“I especially like chiffon pies when it’s hot out, because they’re so light and refreshing. We used to do a watermelon chiffon at the pie shop. I like raspberry chiffon and blueberry cheesecake chiffon, too.

“I love nectarines in pie. They keep their color and taste better than peaches do by themselves. Don’t be afraid to use a bit of lemon juice with fruit pies, because when fruit cooks, it loses some of its fresh flavor and the hit of acid helps.”