Perfect Peach Pie

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.

Peach, Ginger and Almond Galette

August is prime peach season, the time to make that perfect peach pie. But August is also a lazy month, and I tend to take my share of shortcuts in the kitchen to leave more time for reading and relaxing. So instead of making a classic, state fair type of peach pie with 

perfectly crimped crust edges, I’ve been known to go the rustic route, and make a simple, freeform galette instead. Yes, you still have to make the pastry, but it doesn’t require rolling out two crusts, nor does it require a long baking time. Since peaches pair so  

well with almonds and ginger, I sprinkled the pastry with a combination of ground almonds and toasted breadcrumbs (they also help to mop up some of the peach juices, so they don’t spill out), and tossed the sliced peaches with freshly grated ginger and 

finely chopped crystallized ginger. The result, I must say, is nothing short of spectacular—in the flavor department, at least. But I do love the rustic, countrified look of this pie, though it probably will never win a blue ribbon at the state fair. Assuming you could find one around here.