Once again my parents bought more peaches than they knew what to do with. Not that anyone was complaining! We went to the farm for labor day weekend and my mom and I made a peach pie to take to my dad's aunt and uncle's house for dessert. This pie is so easy and just... amazing. You bake the crust of course, but then you're done with the oven which I love. For my dad's birthday in April my mom uses the same recipe to make a strawberry pie and it is just as awesome as it is with peaches. Just add some ice cream and you will think you've died and gone to heaven. And this coming from someone who doesn't enjoy fruit.
Pie Crust (my mommy's recipe)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
4-5 tablespoons cold water
1. Preheat oven to 450. Sift flour and salt together. Next cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until pieces are the size of small peas.
2. Sprinkle one tablespoon of water over part the mixture. Using a fork, gently mix the water into the mixture and push to one side of the bowl. Repeat this process until all the mixture has been moistened.
3. Form into a ball and flatten on a lightly floured surface. Roll out from the center until 1/8 inch thick.
4. To fit the pastry into the pie plate, lightly flour the surface of the your rolled out dough and fold carefully in half. Repeat this step again so that your pastry is in fourths. Then gently place the tip (or point or center fold or whatever you would like to call it) of the pastry in the center of a 9" pie dish. Unfold the pastry and press into place.
5. Next trim the edges that go over the pie dish to within 1/2 to 1 inch of the dish. Fold under and flute the edges. Be sure to prick the sides and bottom of the pastry with a fork or use pie weights if you have them.
6. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden.
I would just like to say, my first pie crust making adventure was rather impressive until I got to the edge fluting thing... That just did NOT go well at all. This time I made the most beautiful pie crust ever (it's true) and even my mom said it looked good! It was that legit. :)
We had shortening, but it wasn't butter-flavored and it turned out just as well. Personally, though, I think it tastes a little better with that extra buttery something going on, you know?
Fresh Peach Pie
Baked 9" pie shell (recipe above)
several cups fresh sliced peaches (I usually use between 5 and 6 medium sized peaches)
1 cup finely chopped peaches
3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1. Fill the cooled pie shell full of sliced fruit (until the fruit is level with the top of the crust).
2. In a saucepan, stir together crushed fruit, 1/2 cup water (1/4 at a time), and sugar. Let it come to a boil.
3. Mix together remaining water, cornstarch and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir in to your saucepan (still boiling) slowly; let thicken.
4. Pour mixture over fruit and let cool for at least 3 hours.
I forgot to mention that my mom want me to save some of the pie shell and make leaves or something pretty for the top. To do this, you just save whatever amount of pastry you trim off the edges of the shell and roll it out again. She usually free hands her leaves, but I used some cookie cutters I found in my grandma's cabinet. I baked them with the pie shell on a tiny cookie sheet. You have to keep checking these to be sure they don't burn though. Lovely, isn't it?
