Deep Dish Peach Pie, 9”

You have the option of halving or slicing the fresh peaches for this delicious pie recipe. If your peaches are sweet or if you enjoy tart flavors, using peach halves will also make the pie easier to serve neatly. If your peaches are too tart, slicing them will allow the fruit to be more evenly coated with sugar.

Crust

2 ½ cups pastry flour

7/8 cup lard (or part butter)

1/3 cup ice water

2 tsp vinegar

2 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

Fruit Mixture

2-3 lbs peaches

1 tbls lemon juice

¼ cup demerara sugar

1 tbls cornstarch

1 tbls ground cinnamon

Sour Cream Mixture

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup flour

1 tbls vanilla extract

½ cup sour cream

Measure flour into a medium bowl and cut in chilled and cubed lard to resemble coarse meal. Whisk salt, sugar, and vinegar with ice water and add just enough to bring dough together (a bit more water may be needed). Divide dough into two parts and wrap snugly in plastic film, patting into two flattened rounds. Refrigerate for half an hour. See more instructions for pie pastry.

Peaches may be peeled or blanched in boiling water for 15 seconds, then transferred to ice water. Cut peaches in half and remove skins and pits. If your peaches are sweet, you need not slice them, or if you enjoy some tartness in the fruit. Place fruit in a lidded bowl and toss with lemon juice.

Whisk beaten egg with sugar, flour, vanilla, and sour cream. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Prepare a 9” deep dish pie pan (2” deep) by oiling or buttering lightly and dusting with powdered sugar or flour. Roll out the bottom crust to at least 12 inches across and transfer gently to the pan, easing into corners and trimming edges evenly.

If using sliced peaches, slice them. Toss peaches with a mixture of demerara sugar and cinnamon. If using halved peaches, arrange one layer with peaches cut side down. If using sliced peaches, arrange bottom layer evenly with half of the fruit. Pour the sour cream mixture evenly over the bottom layer.

Add the rest of the sliced peaches, or layer the halved peaches cut side up for the final layer. If you don’t have enough halved peaches for a complete layer, break the halves into chunks with your fingers and fill in the gaps between the halves of the first layer.

Roll out the second ball of dough to 11 inches in diameter or so and transfer gently to the pan; trim edges evenly, leaving a margin to tuck under the edge of the lower crust. Pinch the upper and lower crusts together and then flute the edge. Use scraps to create decorations, cut steam vents, and sprinkle top with sugar—vanilla sugar if you have it.

Place the pan on a pizza pan or cookie sheet and place in the middle of preheated oven. After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350° F for 40 minutes, turning pan half way unless you have a convection oven. When the crust is nicely browed, remove to a wire rack to cool.

The sour cream custard prevents the pie from being too dry to eat without a side of ice cream or non-fat yoghurt!