You have to try this pie! I got the recipe from Food & Wine’s website, it’s a very classic Peach Pie recipe. Make sure you find quality peaches, that is what makes the pie so wonderful. We’re at the end of peach season, but I was able to find some good ones at our local Harris Teeter. You want peaches that are ripe (firm with a little give) and that you can smell. I bought mine and waited a few days before making the pie. The peaches had softened a bit and I could smell their marvelous fragrance every time I came within five feet of them!

Peach Pie

From Food & Wine

Ingredients

Crust

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 ounces) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (4 ounces) cold, solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup ice water

Filling

8 large, ripe but firm peaches (3 1/2 pounds)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, thinly sliced
Egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons water)

Directions

Crust

Add the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture is coarse crumbs. Pour this mixture into a large bowl and drizzle in the ice water. Stir with a fork (or use your hands) to produce a crumbly dough. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead a few times until the dough comes together to form a ball. Divide in half and form a disk with each half. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and allow to chill at least 30 minutes in the fridge (can be refrigerated overnight).

Roll out each disk into 12″ circles on a floured work surface . Place one crust in a 9″ glass pie dish. With the other crust, place on a cookie sheet. Place both doughs in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Filling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil water in a large saucepan and also fill a large bowl with ice water. To each peach, use a knife to make a shallow “x” in the bottom. This will help you peel the peaches after they have been blanched. To blanch the peaches, place them in boiling water for 1 minute (so the skins will start to loosen). Remove each peach carefully with a slotted spoon and immediately place in bowl of ice water. Remove peaches from ice water and peel.

Slice each peach into 3/4″ wedges and place in a large bowl. Toss the peaches together with sugar, lemon juice, and flour. Coat the peaches well and let sit for 5 minutes.

Pour the peaches and all of the juice from the large bowl into your chilled crust-lined pie plate. Place butter slices over the peaches. Brush the edge of the pie crust with the egg wash and then place the other pie crust on top. To seal the crusts together, press them together and crimp decoratively (or you could use the tines of a fork to seal). Brush the top of the pie with the remaining egg wash. Cut a few slits in the top of the pie with a sharp knife.

Bake the pie

Place the pie plate on a cookie sheet (to protect your oven from drips). Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 40 minutes with foil covering the edge of the crust. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing into it. Enjoy!

Side Note: the dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to a month.

I’m hoping to find more good peaches in the store this week…I don’t think I can wait until next year to have this pie again!