Fresh peaches at the market are a sure sign that summer is here. And there's no better way to celebrate than with our Ultimate Peach Pie. A hint of vanilla in the filling brings out the best in the peaches, and a sprinkling of cornmeal in the flaky pastry adds a satisfying crunch. Be sure to bake the pie on a baking sheet to catch any juices that spill over.
- Prep time 25 minutes
- Total time 2 hours & 30 minutes
- Portion size 8 servings
Ingredients
Pastry:
Method
Pastry: In large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal and salt. Using pastry blender, cut in butter and lard until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Whisk ice water with sour cream; drizzle over flour mixture, stirring briskly with fork to form ragged dough and adding more ice water, 1 tbsp at a time, until dough comes together.Divide pastry in half; press into discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. (Makeahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days.)
In bowl, combine peaches, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice and vanilla; set aside.
On lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 of the pastry discs to generous 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness; fit pastry into 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Trim to fit, leaving 3/4-inch (2 cm) overhang; flute rim. Spoon in peach mixture.
Roll out remaining pastry disc to scant 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness. Using 2-1/2-inch (6 cm) round pastry cutter, cut out about 24 circles, rerolling scraps as necessary. Cover peach mixture with circles, using about 15 for outer ring, about 8 for inner ring and 1 in centre, overlapping slightly. Whisk egg yolk with 2 tsp water; brush over circles and rim.
Sprinkle with coarse sugar (if using). Bake on rimmed baking sheet on bottom rack of 425 F (220 C) oven for 20 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350 F (180 C); bake until bottom is golden brown, peaches are tender and juice is thick and bubbly, 60 to 70 minutes. Let cool on rack.
Tip from The Test Kitchen: Want to make this pie year-round? Simply use 5 cups thawed frozen peach slices, drained and patted dry (about 8 cups frozen), and increase flour in filling to 1/3 cup.
Nutritional facts per serving: about
- Fibre 3 g
- Sodium 158 mg
- Sugars 30 g
- Protein 5 g
- Calories 385.0
- Total fat 19 g
- Cholesterol 43 mg
- Saturated fat 9 g
- Total carbohydrate 52 g
%RDI
- Iron 11.0
- Folate 20.0
- Calcium 2.0
- Vitamin A 11.0
- Vitamin C 10.0
