I consider myself more of a cook than a baker, except for two things – pies and bread! Now that we are past Halloween, my Pinterest feed has been all about Thanksgiving, from appetizers to dessert.
My late husband’s favorite pie was peach, and before I met him I don’t think I’d ever had a peach pie before. It's sad that I went nearly 32 years without having peach pie! While you can easily use store bought pie crust for this recipe, I urge you to try this one on your own – it’s so easy because I let the food processor do all the work.
Peach Pie
This crust is enough for two 9 inch pies, or a top and bottom for one pie.
2 cups plus 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks COLD, unsalted butter, grated
6 oz COLD cream cheese, cut into 1/4″ cubes
3 Tbsp cold heavy whipping cream
About 30 minutes before I am making my pie crust, I put the butter and the metal blender to my food processor in the freezer to get nice and cold. I shred my butter with a cheese grater – the less time you put your warm hands on the cold butter, the better. You’ll get a flaky crust every time.
Add the flour, sugar and salt to the food processor and pulse, just until combined. Do the same with the butter and cream cheese, just pulse until combined. Add in the 3 tablespoons of whipping cream and again, just pulse until combined and comes together. Separate the dough in half and refrigerate until ready to roll out.
You can substitute any sturdy fruit for this pie – while I am using peach, think apple, or a combination of apple and pear – or what about cranberry apple?! The possibilities are endless.
3 1/2 lbs peaches, pitted, peeled and sliced 1/4″ thick (~6 1/2 to 7 cups sliced)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch the peaches for about 30-45 seconds – the skin will peel right off.
Cut into slices then toss with the sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch.
Heat oven to 425. Roll out the one layer of dough and place in your pie pan. Crimp the sides of the dough along the rim. Add the peach (fruit) mixture to the pan.
Roll out the other half of the dough, and using a knife or pizza cutters, cut into about 15 equal slices for the lattice top.
Trim the edges, brush the top of the pie crust with egg wash (one egg yolk mixed with a tablespoon of water) and sprinkle course sugar.
Bake at 425 for the first 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 and bank an additional 30-35 minutes. Check to make sure the edges aren’t getting too dark and cover with foil until the pie is cooked.
Now is the hard part – waiting for it to cool completely until slicing. The corn starch needs to reabsorb all the liquid and you’ll be happy you waited for a slice of this goodness.
Want to learn more about making pies? The Chopping Block has these upcoming classes at our Merchandise Mart location:
11/12/17 - Holiday Pies and Tarts
11/18/17 - Thanksgiving Headquarters: Apple Pie
11/21/17 - Holiday Pies and Tarts
And at our Lincoln Square location:
11/11/17 - Pie & Tart Boot Camp
11/15/17 - Holiday Pies and Tarts
And if you’d just like to be the hero and offer to “make” dessert for your holiday gathering, you can always have The Chopping Block chefs bake your pies for you, just in time for pick up before your event. We'll have our famous Apple Pie and classic Pumpkin Pie available.
What’s your favorite holiday pie? Let me know in the comments below.
