Let's just call this one summer. To me, nothing says summer like fresh peaches and blueberries. Probably because we grow our own blueberries and the world's very best, juiciest, sweetest, and most delicious peaches come from Chilton County, Alabama, just minutes away. Growing up, peaches were a huge part of summer because I'd help my mom pick, peel, and slice tons of peaches to put up. I can remember picking them from the tree in the backyard; they would be warm from the sun and the fuzz would make your skin itch... so I'd wash them under the freezing cold water from the hosepipe (Alabama-speak for water hose) before we ate them.
Here's a super fast recipe for pie crust you can use for a single or double crust pie. I just prefer the rustic simplicity of this method to using a pie pan. You can whatever fruit you like but this time of year, I'm making peach. Add fresh blackberries or blueberries to this if you like; just toss them in with the peaches or sprinkle some on top if they are really ripe and sweet.
RUSTIC PEACH PIE
Prep Time: 20 minutes plus 1 hour chill time for the dough
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Pastry
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons to roll out the dough
2 tablespoons granulated or superfine sugar plus ½ tablespoon to sprinkle on crust
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 pound (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, diced
3-4 tablespoons ice water, maybe a slight bit more depending on how dough comes together
Filling
11/2 pounds fresh peaches (6 large peaches; not too ripe work best)
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup flour
2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar (I like mine less sweet; add more if you like or need to based on how sweet your fruit is)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced into small pieces
Egg Wash (optional)
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon cold water
Glaze (optional)
½ cup Orange Marmalade, Apricot Preserves, or Apple Jelly
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stretch a 12 x 12 piece of plastic wrap out on the counter and dust with a little of the flour, about 1 tablespoon.
For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine the dry ingredients. Add the butter, a little at a time, pulsing between additions until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube-stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto the well-floured plastic wrap. Handle as little as possible. Fold over the plastic and form into a round. Don’t over handle or over mix because your dough will be tough. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. When you are ready to make the pie, flour a rolling pin and put a little flour around the plastic and on both sides of the dough; roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on the plastic wrap. Wrap it over the rolling pin and transfer it to a baking sheet. Remove the plastic wrap.
For the filling, peel, and slice the peaches, working around the pit. I will sometimes drop the peaches in boiling water for 10 seconds and then simply use a paper towel to drain and then slide the skin off the peach. You can use an ice bath if you want to stop the cooking process but since I'm going to cook them anyway, I don't bother.
I like the look of slices- I usually slice a medium peach into 10 slices. Put the peach slices into a bowl and toss with the lemon juice and the lemon zest. Next, add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Add the cold butter. Mix all of the ingredients together until the peaches are well coated. Turn the peaches out onto the crust, leaving a 2-inch border all the way around. Gently fold the border over the peaches to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle. Finish with the egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar before baking.
Bake the pie for 20-22 minutes, until the crust is browned and the peaches are tender. (Note: If you are not using the glaze, bake for another 4-5 minutes or until golden brown)
For the glaze: Microwave the preserves in a heatproof container for 10 seconds. Remove the pie from the oven. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the crust and the filling with the melted preserves. Return to the oven for 4-5 minutes or until the pie is golden brown.
Allow to cool slightly before cutting.
