I’m still in that place where I’m trying so hard not to wish the summer away. Fall is my favorite season (both generally AND, of course, food-wise). But summer is my second favorite. Summer around here is awesome. There’s yard work, outdoor BBQ’s, lots of “friend and family time,” and, of course, stone fruit! And there’s no better way to eat an abundance of peaches than in a peach pie.
I used to be that obnoxious girl who buys my fruit at Costco. This year, though, Blossom’s BiFF and I have a CSA box being delivered once a week. And I have to say, it’s still a LOT of fruit. I can’t get enough of peaches, nectarines, and cherries; so when they’re in season I go a bit crazy.
In addition to just consuming this fruit raw, at least once per year I feel a major need to bake a pie. Generally, every summer I make at least one cherry pie and one peach. They’re my favorite.
In spite of the fact that starting an oven during summer can be absolutely miserable, there is nothing better than the smell of spiced, roasting, butter-covered peaches on a summer’s evening. I tend to open all the windows and doors and let the breeze in to ease the heat a bit, while still soaking up these amazing scents of summer.
Lots of peach pie recipes neglect the spiciness of the peaches held inside that flaky crust. I’m sure many would argue that’s the best way to make the flavors of the peaches themselves shine–to leave them as plain as possible. But I have to say, there isn’t much I like more than peaches covered in cinnamon, and I truly think peach pie without it is just WRONG. Lol.
I often eat peach pie in August or a bridge month to fall. It’s a transitional flavor between my two favorite seasons. You are still buried in those wonderful, bright summer flavors of stone fruit, but then that hint of cinnamon is sortof a reminder that crisp weather, spiced cider, and pumpkin-spiced-everything is on it’s way! I guess I never thought about it before, but it’s seriously such a nice way to celebrate the wonders of both seasons while not “wishing your life away.” But this year, with all the stone fruit that is showing up on my doorstep every week, pies need to be more present in my life. So I’m starting early.
So, without further ado, here is the best recipe for Peach Pie. In the past, a celebration of two seasons. But this year, an absolute celebration of the beauties of summer stone fruit.
Happy Cooking!
***For this recipe, use the pie crust recipe found here! It’s one I borrowed straight from the Cup4Cup website and it’s by far the most amazing Gluten Free Pie Crust recipe I’ve found to date!
- 3 lbs Fresh Peaches
- 1 Tablespoon of Cinnamon
- 1 Lemon
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Corn Starch
- ¼ teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Peel and slice all the peaches in approximately ¼" thick slices. (***Note: many times blanching the peaches for approximately one minute in boiling water will make the skins amazingly easy to get off.)
- Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl with the sliced peaches.
- Fill the rolled out crust and top with the second crust in any design you'd like.
- Cover the crust with a silicone baking shield and bake for approximately 45 minutes and check it and remove the shield. (It's up to you whether you cover the crust at the beginning or the end. Sometimes I find the crust should be covered on GF crusts later so it can firm up first.)
- Continue checking it and take it out only when the crust reaches the perfect golden color and the peaches are consistently bubbling. (This will probably be about an hour and a half.)
- Remove and let cool completely before serving.
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