Chef John's Peach Pie
This pie is absolutely stunning. Lattice is also a very useful design. The relatively open top of a pie made with peaches allows a lot of moisture to escape, preventing the watery pie syndrome. This is also why we turn the extra juices into a syrup.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh freestone peaches (peeled and sliced)
- 1 cup white sugar ( divided)
- 1 tiny pinch salt
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 ounce package double-crust pie pastry (thawed)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter (cut into tiny pieces
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon white sugar (or to taste)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
- Stir peaches with 1/2 cup of sugar and salt until well combined in a large mixing bowl. Let sit for 20-30 minutes. Strain the juices collected into a pan and return the strained peaches back to bowl.
- Bring the juices to a rolling boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium high and cook for 5-10 minutes until mixture becomes a thick syrup.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of sugar, flour and cornstarch. Mix lemon juice, cinnamon, cayenne, and pepper into peaches. Sprinkle flour mixture over and toss. Pour hot peach nectar over the peach mixture. Stir.
- Roll one pastry out into a circle of 12 inches. In a 10 inch pie plate, press the bottom into place. Pour the peach filling in crust. Tap the pie plate on a flat surface, to help settle it, and then dot with butter.
- Roll the remaining pastry into a circle of 11 inches and cut it into 1-inch wide strips with a paring blade or pastry wheel.
- Spread 5 strips of pastry dough evenly on top of the pie. Continue weaving the remaining pastry strips to create a lattice-like top. Fold the lattice strips' ends under the bottom crust, and seal it with a crimp. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar and brush cream on top.
- Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes in a preheated oven, until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbly. Let the cake cool completely before cutting.