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Peach Pie Print E-mail
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Long before apple pie became synonymous with wholesome American food, peach pies were synonymous with American home cooking. In colonial times, peach trees were actually more common than apple trees on American farms. The secret to great peach pie is choosing good ripe peaches to start with and then peeling them. Another step that makes peach pie extraordinary is a woven lattice top. Blackberry, blueberry, or apricot pie can also be made with the same crust. Use six cups of berries or pitted and sliced apricots with the same amount of sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch called for in the filling.
(Makes one 10-inch pie)
For the Butter Pastry:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/3 cup cold water
For the Peach Filling:
6 large freestone peaches, peeled (see note)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch

1.) Prepare the pastry, combine the flour, salt, and butter in a food processor or large mixing bowl and process or work with a fork until the mixture is uniformly crumbly. Add the water all at once and pulse the food processor on and off until the mixture comes together to form a ball of dough. Do not over process. Without handling the dough any more than necessary, divide in half and press each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it while preparing the fruit.
2.) Preheat the oven to 350.
3.) Prepare the pie filling, split the peaches in half, remove the pits, and cut each half into six slices. In a mixing bowl, toss the sliced peaches with the lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch and set aside. 4.) On a well-floured surface, roll out one disk of the pastry into a 12-inch circle, fold it in quarters so that it can be lifted without tearing, and unfold it into a 10-inch pie pan. Press the pastry into place without stretching, which renders a pie crust tough.
5.) Pile in the filling. Roll the second disk of dough into a 12-inch square, and with a sharp knife, cut the pastry into 12 strips. Weave the strips into a lattice pattern on top of the fruit and pinch the corners into place.
6.) Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is boiling out of the crust, about 1 hour. Cool thoroughly on a rack before slicing.

Copyright, Greg Atkinson, 1999
 
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