As I mentioned in a previous post, peach pie is his favourite thing in life. I even made him a pie in April for his birthday, having to use frozen peaches since they are nowhere near being in season. Of course, the peaches are now ready here, and so that means it was time to bake the boss a pie. But first, a bit of background...
A couple of years ago, I took a random Tuesday off to go to the farmer's market in the small town of St. Jacob's, Ontario. It is full of fresh produce, handmade crafts, and other such fun things. There is a restaurant near there that is run by some local Mennonites that includes, essentially, an all-you-can-eat pie table. There are also pies that have been prepared for customers to buy and take home. I decided that since I'd taken the day off, it would be a nice gesture to take the co-workers a pie to have the following afternoon. I had my choice between apple, coconut butter-tart, and peach. On a whim, I chose peach.
The next day, I proudly came into the office carrying the mammoth (12") peach pie...filled to the brim with gorgeous peaches. The 3 designers were thrilled that I had thought to bring them a little treat, and they looked forward to the afternoon when they could cut into it. The boss was out at a job-site, and was unsure when he'd be in. Tired of waiting, they cut into the pie around 11:30am...we took 4 decent-sized slices from the pie, leaving more than half in the plate.
Well, the boss arrived around 2:30. I said, "Hey...I bought a pie while I was away yesterday. Would you like some?"
"What kind of pie?"
"Peach."
...imagine the look of a child on Christmas morning who wakes up to find that Santa had indeed delivered a pony...
"ARE YOU KIDDING?! I LOVE PEACH PIE!!!"
...and then proceeded to eat every last morsel over the course of the afternoon (oh, to have his metabolism...he's skinny as a rail).
When I made him a fresh peach pie last summer, he actually took a picture of it with his phone, and he still looks at it when he gets hungry.
So on Monday when he walked in at 8:30am and saw that there was peach pie in the office, he decided that peach pie for breakfast was totally acceptable...his first slice was gone by 9:00...and I loved seeing him that content with life. I wonder if I'll have to make another before the peaches leave us for another year...
Use any double-crust pastry recipe you like best...I like cutting the top crust portion into strips so I can give it that traditional lattice-top. Here are instructions from Cook's Illustrated to help with the lattice top:
Weaving and Crimping the Lattice Top
1. To make the lattice, lay out 4 strips of dough. Fold the first and third strips back, then place a long strip of dough slightly to the right of the center as shown.
2. Unfold the first and third strips over the perpendicular strip and fold the second and fourth strips back. Add a second perpendicular strip of dough. Now unfold the second and fourth strips.
3. Repeat this process with two more perpendicular strips (you will have a total of 8 strips of dough, four running in each direction).
4. Trim off the excess lattice ends, fold the rim of the shell up over the lattice strips, and crimp.
For fresh peaches, I use the ratio of 1 cup of fruit: 1/4 cup sugar: 1 tablespoons potato starch...so for a standard 9" pie, I use 4 cups of sliced peaches, 1 cup of sugar, and 4 tablespoons of potato starch. For a deep-dish 9" or 10" pie (I have completely forgotten what size it is), I use 6 cups of sliced peaches, 1.5 cups of sugar, and 6 tablespoons of potato starch.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put your rolled out bottom crust in your pie plate.
Stir sliced peaches with sugar and potato starch. Once combined, pour into crust.
Top with pastry strips as shown above.
Bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees (keep an eye on your crust). Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until peaches are soft when tested with a knife. Cover your crust with aluminum foil if needed.
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