Proper Peach Pie with Flaky Lattice Crust

  • What would you say if someone offered you a fresh peach pie, laced with a bit of cinnamon and ginger (but almost indiscernibly so), and baked with a flaky, buttery crust?  You’d say ‘yes please’, and you can’t even pretend you wouldn’t.

    I have been making a crapload of pies lately, so it was much to my surprise last week when The Husband asked me this:
     “When are you going to make me a real pie?”

    I looked at him (lovingly) like he was an idiot, and asked him this:
    “Are you an idiot?  All I’ve been making are pies.”
    (Seriously- I just made Strawboffee Pie, Banoffee Pie, and S’mores Pie in like the last three weeks.  I have been a pie making machine.)

    And in the way that The Husband picked up from the many Brits he’d been working with, he said this:
    “Yeah, but I want a proper pie.”

    He’s right.  I have been making imposter pies as of late, ripoff pies.  If a pie doesn’t have a crust (especially a flaky buttery one), then is it really a pie?  Does a graham cracker crust (or a McVitie’s Digestive Biscuit crust for the Brits) count as pie, just because it’s baked in a pie plate?  (Technically yes, but The Husband wanted a pie with a crust and fruit.) 
    After I conceded that I had been depriving him of real pie (having not made one since the Good Old Fashioned Raisin Pie, which I technically made for his Dad anyway), and after apologizing for making his life so miserable because of this, he asked for apple pie.  I promptly shot him down, because everyone knows that apple pies are for fall.  After suggesting peach pie, he simmered down, like a baby with a pacifier.  A pie pacifier.

    So this one’s for you, Husband- a proper peach pie.

    Adapted from epicurious’s recipe…

    CRUST:

    One batch of Flaky Vodka Pie Crust, or Flaky Double Pie Crust (both are double-batches, so you’ll have enough for the bottom & top lattice crusts)

    FILLING:

    2/3 cup golden brown sugar, tightly packed

    1/4 cup cornstarch

    1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

    1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    2 – 3 lbs. ripe peaches, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces
    1. In a large bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and spices together.  Stir peach pieces into mixture and allow to sit for 30 – 60 minutes (allowing peach juices to form).
    2. Preheat oven to 375°.  Roll out larger disk of dough to a 13″ circle on a floured surface, and then transfer to a pie plate (deep dish one if you have it).  Place empty pie shell in fridge.
    3. Roll out smaller disk of dough into an 11″ circle, and cut into strips that are 1/2″ wide (use a ruler to ensure uniformity in row size).
    4. Pour filling into pie shell, then place every other dough strip onto the top of pie, spacing 3/4″ apart (starting with one half of the pie).  Form a lattice/weave pattern by taking dough strips and placing at a right angle to the ones placed on the pie already, carefully peeling back the strips to create the weave-like appearance.  Once lattice has been created, trim the excess dough over edges of pie plate to about 3/4″ and fold under, tucking into inside edge of pie shell.  Decorate/crimp edges if you’d like.  (See Tips below for, well, tips.)
    5. Bake for about 1 hour if using 2 lbs. of peaches, and 1 hour 20 minutes if using 3 lbs. (until crust is golden and filling bubbles thickly).  Place foil around edges of crust throughout baking to prevent burning.  Cool to room temperature and serve…

    Tips:

    • Peach volume is up to you.  If you have a deep dish pie, pour them on in… (or if you’re like me, buy a lot of peaches but don’t get around to making the pie for a few days- causing some peaches to be past their prime, if you know what I mean, and then have half as many peaches to work with as you originally intended).
    • Peach ripeness is key!  I used very ripe, juicy peaches, although they were a bit harder to peel (using a sharp paring knife).  If you use peaches that are still quite hard, blanch them in a pot of boiling water for a minute (literally put 3 in at a time in a pot of boiling water, then remove from water with tongs and place in a bowl of cold water… then peel with a sharp knife) so they bake better.
    • The crust- lattice or no lattice?  It all depends on how much patience you have, how much time you have, and whether or not you really give a care.  An easier option is to place half of the dough strips in one direction over the pie, then layer the remaining dough strips directly overtop the first layer (still at a right angle), but NOT doing the weave thing.  Still looks nice, and way faster.  Easier still, the traditional crust– just layer the whole upper crust pie dough (still rolled out to 11″) over the top of the peaches, and cut 6 slits in the top center of the pie to allow steam to escape.  No one will care that it’s not a lattice crust.  Really.
    • Lattice how-to help can be found on this site– it’s an easy video that shows you how the heck to do it.
    • Gluten-free option: it’s a sad one, but better than no peach fun at all for the celiacs in your life… reserve about 3/4 cup of peach filling and bake in a small ramekin or other dish on its own (without the crust) for about 20 minutes.
    • Serve with… ice cream!  Whipped cream!  Or on it’s own.
    • Enjoy!

     

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    July 14th, 2012 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: ,

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