Peach pie

September 3, 2018 Published by Dina

I don’t make too many pies here, mostly tarts or free-form galettes for me, but now and then I crave a peach pie and when my friend B can’t make one for me I have to resort to making one myself (how is that for guilt-inducing?). When I made this pie the first time the bottom crust dissolved from the juice of the peaches. It was still good with a flaky, buttery top crust, but not really a pie, missing the bottom crust. The second time I made it I sprinkled a flour-sugar-nut mixture on the bottom dough, drained some of the peach juices and got a beautiful pie with crisp and flaky bottom crust and additional flavour from the nut mixture. I usually use this trick with juicy galettes, but it works well with pies as well.

The time to make this pie is only in summer when peaches are ripe and full of flavour, so please, stick with this idea and get local peaches from your farmers market. You will be rewarded.

I baked the pie in an Emile Henri pie plate that is also pretty, as the pie stays in the plate for serving. Glass pie plates work but are not that attractive.

Well, enjoy, I hope it works for you if you try it. Keep me posted if you do.

Summer peach pie

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tablespoon sugar
A large pinch of salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water

Place flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.

Add cold butter and mix until you get pea size crumbly dough.

Add the water and mix only until the dough comes together.

Shape into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic and refrigerate until cold, at least an hour.

Remove the dough from refrigerator and roll each piece into a circle about 14″ in diameter.

Place the rounds on a baking sheet and return to the refrigerator to chill until you are ready to proceed.

Filling:

3 lb ripe peaches, pitted and sliced (8-10 cups)
1/3 cups honey
1/3 cup sugar
Juice from 1 lime
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Peel, pit and slice the peaches into wedges.

Place in a bowl and add honey, sugar, lime juice and cornstarch.

Mix to combine.

Sugar-flour-nut mixture:

1/4 cup ground almonds or walnuts
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour

Mix the ingredients in a small bowl.

Glaze for the top crust:

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cream
2 tablespoons raw sugar for sprinkling

Beat the egg and cream with the fork until combined.

Assembling:

Place one round of pastry into the pie plate leaving an overhang around thew edges.

Spoon the nut mixture over the bottom crust.

Spoon the peach mixture over piling it higher in the center.

Cover the peaches with the second round pastry and seal the edges by rolling the edge onto itself in a decorative shape if you can, or just press to seal.

Cut a few slits to allow steam to escape during baking.

Brush the top crust with egg wash and sprinkle the sugar over.

Bake in a preheated 375F oven for one hour or until the pastry is golden and crisp and thick juices bubble up.

Remove from the oven and let rest until cool before slicing.