Here we are in the heart of summer with peaches, plums, berries and apricots all in abundance, and it's the perfect time to get baking. And while there are many desserts to make with stone-fruit, there is something to be said for the classic pie, served with a dollop of melting vanilla ice cream. In the past I have been (admittedly) guilty of hoping my mother or grandmother will arrive pie-in-hand for Sunday night dinners, relieving me of the embarrassment of a tough crust or soggy-bottomed pie. However, the time has come for me to be responsible for my own pie-making, and after lots and lots of practice, I've realized with a few simple tips, it can be both rewarding and impressive! Picking a crust The first thing you need to determine is what type of crust you want to make. The classic pie crust is a roll-out dough, formally called pte brise. This is an unsweetened dough, a mixture of flour, salt, a fat and a liquid. This dough is versatile and used for both sweet and savoury pies. An alternate method for this dough is made by adding sugar to a pate brisee, resulting appropriately in a pte sucre. This is a lightly sweeter dough, and often a perfect fit for summer fruit pies. Try it: Make a pate sucre from our perfect pastry -- it is the ideal complement for our strawberry-rhubarb pie . Advertisement Pie variations There are some variations to these traditional crusts -- namely