Peach pie (Pies)

 

                Make this pie when peach season is in full swing and the peaches are large ripe, plentiful, and at their peak flavor and best price.

One 9-inch latticetop pie

• 1 Old-Fashioned Dough, click here for recipe
• 1 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling on the lattice strips
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon instant tapioca
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 7 or 8 large peaches, or 2¾ pounds perfectly ripe freestone-type peaches
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Egg glaze made by beating together well 1 large egg and 3 tablespoons cold water
• Vanilla or peach ice cream, as accompaniment, if desired

1. In a small bowl, stir together with a wire whisk the sugar, tapioca and cinnamon.
2. Peel, halve, and pit the peaches ; cut each half into 4 slices (You should have roughly 5½ cups of slices)
3. Add the lemon juice and sugar mixture to the slices ; combine gently and let stand for 15 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 425F (200C).
5. Line the pie plate with the bottom crust and pour the filling into it.
6. For the lattice top, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 13-inch circle and cut eight 1½-inch-wide lattice strips ; brush the strips with the egg glaze and sprinkle them with sugar.
7. Arrange the strips over the filling ; trim the bottom crust and the strips to a 1-inch overhang.
8. Fold the bottom edge up over the strips to form a thick edge ; flute the edges decoratively, pressing together with your thumb and forefinger.
9. Bake the pie for 20 minutes ; reduce the oven temperature to 350F (180C) and continue to bake the pie for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is browned and the juices are bubbling.
10. Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack before serving it at room temperature, with vanilla or peach ice cream on the side, if desired.

To peel peaches

                You will need a large (6- to 8-quart) pot of boiling water and a bowl of very cold water. Using a large serving spoon, lower the peaches, one at a time, into the boiling water. Let them stand in the water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then carefully remove the peaches to the bowl of cold water. Let the peaches cool briefly, remove, and with a paring knife, peel off the fuzzy skin, starting at the stem end. The skin should slip off easily. Cut each peach in half vertically and remove the pit. Slice the peaches as directed in the recipe.

BON APPÉTIT