I must apologize for my neglect of this
blog lately – I’ve been working feverishly on a new cookbook and find I don’t
have as much time to devote to extra-curricular activities as I’d like. But there are occasions when I come across a
beautiful ingredient, the look and fragrance of which compels me to make a
dessert and share it with you. Yesterday, I succumbed to a batch of fragrant
peaches at the farmers’ market. One sniff and I was committed. Next thing I
knew, I was rolling out pie dough, slicing peaches and laying down strips of
dough to form a lattice top. Nothing says summer like a home-baked peach pie. Simple
as they are, pies take time to craft, but they are worth every bit of the
effort that goes into them. For the pie crust, I chose to add a little whole
wheat flour to give it an earthy note that complements the sweet peaches. A bit
of white vinegar (undetectable in the finished pastry) make the crust tender,
while a sprinkling of
demerara sugar gives it some crunch. For the filling, I
decided not to peel the peaches; just sliced them and tossed them together with
some lemon juice and zest, ground cinnamon and some finely chopped crystallized
ginger. Quick-cooking tapioca thickens the juices in the finished pie. The
crust gets a jump on
browning when it’s put in a 425 degree F oven for the
first 15 minutes of baking. If you find it’s browning too quickly, simply tent
some foil over the top for the remainder of baking. After it’s cooled, serve a
slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato. Perfection.
Makes one 9-inch pie
Crust:
2 1/3 cups (309 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (62 g) whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, cut into
½-inch cubes and frozen for 15 minutes
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons ice-cold water
Peach
Filling:
3 lbs (1.36 kg) fresh ripe peaches,
halved, pitted and cut into 3/4-inch wedges
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized
ginger
2 tablespoons (1 oz) unsalted butter, cut
into ¼-inch cubes
Garnish:
1 egg, whisked with 1 teaspoon water for
eggwash
Demerara sugar for sprinkling
Make
the pie dough:
1. Place the flours, sugar, and salt in
the bowl of a food processor and pulse until blended. Add the butter cubes and,
using a spoon, toss to coat them in flour. Pulse the machine on and off just
until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar
with 2 tablespoons of the cold water. With the processor on, add the mixture
through the feed tube and process until the mixture just starts to come
together. If the dough seems dry, add the remaining 1 tablespoon water as
necessary. Do not allow the dough to form a ball on the blade, or the resulting
crust will be tough.
2. Turn the dough out onto a work
surface, divide it in two, and shape each half into a thick disk. Wrap the disks
in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
Make
the filling:
3. In a large bowl, toss the peaches with
the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, tapioca, cinnamon and crystallized
ginger. Cover the bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to
allow the peach juices to be released and absorbed by the tapioca.
Assemble
the pie:
4. Lightly flour a large work surface. Place
one of the chilled dough disks on the floured surface and sprinkle some flour
over it. Roll the dough from the center out in every direction, flouring the
work surface as necessary to prevent sticking. You want a round about 1/8 inch
or slightly less thick and about 12 inches in diameter.
5. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan
by rolling it loosely around the rolling pin and unrolling it carefully over
the pan. Press the dough first into the bottom of the pan and then against the
sides. Patch any holes or cracks with dough scraps. Trim the edges of the dough
with scissors, leaving about 3/4 inch of overhang. Tuck the overhand underneath
itself and, using your thumb and index finger, crimp the edge. Refrigerate the
pie shell while you roll out the lattice top.
6. Remove the second round of pastry from the refrigerator and, on a
lightly floured work surface, roll it into another 12-inch round. Using a
pastry wheel or chef’s knife, cut the round into ½-inch wide strips.
7. Remove
the pie shell from the refrigerator and pile the peach filling into it. Dot the
top of the filling with the butter. Lay half of the pastry strips on top of the
filling in one direction, spacing them 1 inch apart and leaving a small
overhang at the edges. Lay the remaining strips on top, crossing the other
strips diagonally and creating a lattice pattern (I don’t bother to weave
them), leaving an overhang. Tuck the edges of the dough under itself.
Refrigerate the pie for 30 minutes, until firm.
8. Preheat the oven
to 425°F. Remove the pie from the refrigerator. Brush the lattice pastry with
the eggwash, then sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Place the pie on a baking
sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F and bake until the
pastry is golden and the pie is bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes (cover the pie with
tented foil during baking if it is browning too quickly). Cool the pie before
serving with vanilla ice cream.
