Ever had one of those weeks where life just throws things at you in unexpected ways? Well that's been this week around here. Life is absolutely unpredictable and I've been reminded of that ten-fold this week. So....
Yesterday, my youngest son and I ended up helping my parents a little and one of the things we helped with was picking peaches that were literally falling off the tree they were so ripe. We brought a small bag of them home with us for eating. As we were leaving my dad was teasing me saying that they were going to end up in a pie as soon as my husband saw them.
Well...guess what happened? Ha ha! Yes, my dad was right. The absolute kicker though was that my mom hooked me up with some tapioca granules (my secret weapon for thickening my pies).
Let me tell you a story about tapioca. If you go into a store near you and find a box of small tapioca granules on the shelf, it's akin to finding a dinosaur bone right now! Tapioca is nowhere to be seen. I found some of the large tapioca pearls at a small specialty store, but not the small ones. They told me they had been unable to get tapioca (organic or non-organic) from any of their suppliers for months and they didn't anticipate that changing anytime in the foreseeable future. What??? I mean it IS 2020, but really? Tapioca. Toilet paper shortage, disinfectant shortage, hand sanitizer shortage, flour shortage, egg shortage...why not granulated tapioca too, right? Seriously though - I found some on Amazon but I've not seen it in the store in months. If you find some, buy it!
Rough week, gorgeous sweet peaches, a box of tapioca...how could I say no?
Here is my recipe for Deep Dish Fresh Peach Pie. As you make it, please bear in mind that working with fresh fruit can be a challenge because sometimes you have to adjust ingredients. These peaches are incredibly juicy and sweet. If your peaches are a little more tart, add more sugar. If they don't have much juice for some reason, use less tapioca. Don't like Cinnamon? Don't have a deep dish pie plate? Cut down on the amount of peaches. The biggest lesson here is if you get the crust right, you can adjust the filling to your personal tastes. Trust your gut!
After the recipe, I'll also include a handy dandy list with some links to some of my favorite helpers on Amazon.
- CRUST:
- 2/3 C. Shortening (not butter)
- 2 C. Flour
- Pinch of Salt
- 1/3 C. Water (more or less)
Using a pastry cutter combine Shortening, Flour & Salt until they work together into a crumbly mixture. Add water a little at a time and work dough together. I use 1/3 cup as a base and add a little if I need to in order to get it to stick together. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375
FILLING:
8 C. Fresh Peeled, Sliced Peaches
3/4 C. Sugar
3 T. Tapioca Granules
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
Dash of Ground Cloves (no more than 1/8 tsp)
In a bowl, toss Sliced Peaches with 3/4 C. Sugar, Tapioca, Vanilla, Cinnamon and Cloves. Set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out a little over half of the dough until it's large enough cover the bottom and sides of your pie plate. Put bottom dough in pie plate with edges over hanging. The easiest way I've found to get the crust into the plate is to gently fold it in half and just lift it. You can loosely fold again (into 1/4ths) if you need to. Gently form into pie plate.
Put peach filling into pie plate. Set aside.
On your lightly floured surface, roll out top crust. Before putting top crust on filled bottom crust, run a thin layer of water over the edges of bottom crust. (The water acts as the glue that holds the top & bottom crust together.) Place top crust on filled base and crimp edges to seal.
Trim excess crust from edges of pie. I like to take the extra crust, roll it out and use a small cookie cutter (like a leaf or a heart or a star) and make shapes that I "glue" onto the top of the pie with a little water. Cut slits in top crust to allow for venting while it bakes.
TOP:
1 Egg
1 T. Water
Sugar
In a small bowl or cup, whisk together Egg & 1 T. Water. Using a pastry brush or a clean paint brush, brush the egg wash all over the top crust and edges of pie. Sprinkle top lightly with sugar.
Bake for 50-55 minutes until filling is bubbling up through slits in the pie. You might want to bake it on a cookie sheet to catch any potential overflow. (It happens sometimes)
As hard as it will be, you have to wait for it to cool. I know...the smell is intoxicating and your mouth is watering. I get it. Here's what happens though if you don't let it cool, the tapioca needs a little time to set after it's out of the oven. That's the magic glue that holds the pie together and you have to give it a chance to make the magic happen. I mean, let's be honest. Sometimes you just can't help yourself and you "accidentally" cut into it when it's hot. Whoops...it'll still taste amazing, it'll just be runny. Cover it up with ice cream - problem solved.
Here's a list for you of helpful resources:
Pastry Cutter
Deep Dish Pie Plate
Marble Rolling Pin (Mine is over 30 years old)
Paring Knife
My Go-To Shortening
Tapioca Granules
My Favorite Cinnamon
Top Notch Vanilla
Pastry Brush
Pie Server
Pretty Dessert Bowls
And in case you need to see it one more time...
