in season: peaches

Pie!



You can't beat a fresh fruit pie, and peach is one of my favorites. Strangely enough, I've never made one from scratch. It's probably because peeling and pitting peaches seemed like quite a chore to me. Well, I was right. It's kind of a pain in the ass, but it's definitely well worth it.



Like the strawberry-rhubarb pie from a few weeks ago, I used quick-cooking tapioca as the thickener for the filling. Apparently I didn't use enough, because my pie ended up pretty soupy. It was awesome, if a bit messy. Basically, I recommend baking your pie on a sheetpan to prevent messing up the bottom of your oven when the juices overflow...



Isn't that a lovely shot of my decorative border? Let's just say that it didn't look that pretty all the way around. Recipe after the jump:

PEACH PIE
Adapted from The Joy Of Cooking. [I adjusted the recipe to make a deep-dish, 9-inch pie.]

Ingredients
3 lbs fresh peaches, peeled and pitted, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3/4 cup sugar (adjust depending on the sweetness of your peaches)
4 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
1 recipe pie crust for a 2-crust deep dish pie
3 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 425º. Combine sliced peaches, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice and salt in a large bowl and set aside for 15-20 minutes while you make the pie crust. Line a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with the bottom crust. Fill with the peach mixture. Dot the top of the filling with butter pieces. Cover with the top crust, crimp the edges, and cut vent holes in the top. Brush the top crust with milk or cream, then sprinkle sugar, if desired. Bake on the middle oven rack for 55 to 65 minutes until juices are bubbling and the top crust is evenly browned. Cool well on a wire rack before serving. Goes great with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.