Fresh Peach Pie with a Shortbread Crust

"Do not regard the critics as questionable patriots. What were Washington and Jefferson and Adams but profound critics of the colonial status quo"?

 ~ Adlai Stevenson

Happy Fourth Of July!  Here in the U.S. this means fireworks, BBQ's and picnics. A celebration of  Independence. I wish you all a wonderful and enjoyable holiday.

A measuring cup is a good tool for getting the crust into the corners and up the sides of your pie plate.

This time of year reminds me of fresh peach pie. Growing up one of our favorite places to eat out, was a pie shop, such as Polly's or Marie Callenders. I remember always asking the waitress, "are peaches in season"? "Do you have fresh peach pie?" During dinner that piece of pie would be all I could think about. I would always ask for extra whipped cream. They would tell me, "it comes with whipped cream." I would say, "can you just make sure there is a lot of it?" My love of freshly whipped cream started at an early age.

This pie is made only to highlight the fresh peaches. I can't think of anything much more delicious than a fresh, ripe peach in the peak of it's season. The glaze over the peaches exists only to intensify the sweetness of the fresh fruit. The shortbread crust acts as a buttery, sweet delivery device for each bite. And what would peaches be without softly whipped fresh cream?

I use these dried beans over and over again as my pie weights.

This means that fresh, ripe, juicy peaches at the height of the season is the only peaches to use in this recipe. It relies on it in fact, since the really ripe ones have all that juice that is needed in the filling.

Most fresh peach pie recipes out there involve using peach gelatin as a binding device. I don't want something artificially flavored in my pie. Instead, my filling is thickened with cornstarch, with fresh peach juice and crushed peaches used instead of water, as the liquid, to get as much fresh peach flavor as possible.

To peel the peaches submerge them in boiling water for 30-45 seconds then place in a bowl of ice water. The peels will slip off easily.

The filling is a cinch, so I wouldn't hold it against you if you wanted to use a store bought crust, a nilla wafer one would be particularly good, I believe.

 

"Equal rights for all, special privileges for none".

 ~ Thomas Jefferson

Want something else to do with fresh peaches?

My Any Fruit Crisp is easy and delicious!

Fresh Peach Pie
 
FYI- The crust needs to firm up in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight before making the pie.
 
Ingredients for crust
 
1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 g.) butter- softened
1/3 cup (68 g.) sugar
1 egg
1  cup (150 g.) flour
1/4 cup (28 g.) cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
 
Ingredients for pie filling
 
5 cups sliced fresh, very ripe, peeled peaches (about 8 peaches) (I forgot to weight them, sorry)
1/2 cup (100 g.)  sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
 
2 cups, (1 pint) or (500 ml)  heavy whipped cream, whipped-sweetened with 1/4 cup (44 g.) sugar (this will give you enough for topping pie as well as extra for serving.)
 
Directions
 
Start by making the crust.
 
 Blend the butter, sugar and egg using a stand mixer, or an electric mixer until well mixed. Add the flour, cornstarch and salt and mix until it just comes together, don't overmix.
 
Pat into a 9 inch pie plate and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, 200 degrees Celsius, or Gas Mark 6. While oven is preheating, prick the bottom of crust with a fork. Then place either a piece of parchment or a piece heavy duty foil  into the crust, with pie weights or dried beans inside of the foil or parchment.
 
Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil or parchment and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
 
Let the crust cool while you prepare the filling.
 
To make the filling.
 
Take 1 cup of your peaches in a bowl and mash them with a fork to release their juice. In a large pan, add the sugar and cornstarch, and whisk them together. Add the crushed peaches, stir and cook over medium high heat. As it starts to thicken and boil, add about half of your sliced peaches so that the mixture doesn't get too firm. Remove from the heat immediately and add the remaining peaches and lemon juice. Toss together to distribute the glaze to all of the peaches. Pour into your pie shell.
 
Refrigerate the pie till it's chilled. Then garnish the pie with dollops of whipped cream using a pastry bag with a large star tip, such as Wilton's 1M.
 

Serve the pie cold, it is best eaten the same day. Garnish with extra whipped cream.