The rule was that you could only pick perfect peaches, so each one you selected had to be examined with care. I liked to rub them gently against my lips to feel the tickle of their fuzz. My mother didn’t have any extra money to spend on damaged peaches she couldn’t use, so we had to pick carefully.

When we got back home, peach processing would begin in earnest, and our kitchen would resemble a factory assembly line. But we always knew that, at the end of a long hot day, we would have peaches to last us through the winter. We also knew there would be each pie waiting for dessert.

 

INGREDIENTS

Pie crust recipe yielding two crusts for a 9 inch pie or

1 package pastry for a 9-inch double crust pie (15-ounce)

5 cups peeled and sliced peaches

1 egg beaten

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup cornstarch

¾ cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons cold butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine the sliced peaches and lemon juice, gently toss together. Place the sliced peaches in a colander to drain. Don’t skip this step, this eliminates some of the juice so your pie won’t be soupy after it’s cut. When I drained my peaches I collected almost a 1/4 cup of juice. Drain peaches about 10-15 minutes. Place drained peaches in a large bowl.

Place one homemade or pre-made pie crust in the bottom of a 9 inch pie pan. Brush the pie crust (bottom and sides) with a little of the beaten egg. This keeps the crust from getting soggy. Keep the rest of the beaten egg to brush on the top crust.

In a medium size bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, sugars, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine. Pour the flour mixture over the drained peaches and gently fold them together.

Pour peaches into the bottom pie crust and dot with butter. Place the top crust over the peaches and flute edges. Brush with the rest of the beaten egg and cut 4 slits in the top crust to vent steam. You can sprinkle sugar on top of the crust for decoration if you like. Place pie on a baking sheet, I always do this so there’s no chance of spills in the oven.

Bake the pie at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Bake an additional 30-35 minutes until crust is brown and juices bubble up through the slits. If your pie edges brown to quickly, cover the edges with strips of aluminum foil and continue baking.

USE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW

NEXT

Quick Tip:  Do you remember the old black-and-white TV shows where they would show a pie sitting in the window after it was baked? Well, there was a very good reason for that. Pies need to cool completely, almost to room temperature before you cut them. If you cut a pie before it has a chance to fully cool, the filling will not be “set.” In a custard-type pie, such as pecan pie, the filling will just be goop. In a fruit pie, the juice will just be liquid and will not have gelled and set up around the fruit. Yes, it can be hard to wait, but it will be worth it when your pie is done to perfection!

Recipe and image courtesy of Bunny at Bunny’s Warm Oven