PASTRY
2 cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon sugar
10 tablespoons vegetable shortening (you can use butter but the crust will not be as crisp)
8 tablespoons icy cold water
In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together. Cut in the
shortening with a fork until it is thoroughly distributed and the dry
ingredients resemble very coarse sand. Add half of the water and blend
until most of the dry ingredients adhere and form a dough, then add the
balance of the water and repeat. Turn the contents of the bowl onto a
sheet of waxed paper and press the straggling crumbs to the main dough.
Do not use your bare hands as the warmth of your skin will defeat the
purpose of using icy water. Pat the dough into a circle approximately 6
inches in diameter and 1-inch thick. Wrap in the waxed paper and
refrigerate for one-half hour, which will allow the gluten in the flour
to create spandex-like chemical bonds that give a pastry its
elasticity. While the pastry is chilling, peel and prepare the peaches,
and pre-heat the oven at 350F.
PEACHES
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8 to 12 ripe peaches
1/2 teaspoon almond essence
In a small jar, combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon then set aside.
Peel the peaches by immersing them in boiling water for approximately
20 seconds then holding them under cold water, which should cause the
skin to slip off easily. If this trick doesn’t work, remove the skin
with a potato peeler. Cut the peaches into thick slices, then halve the
slices into chunks. Sprinkle the almond essence over the peaches and
toss. Sprinkle approximately half of the flour-sugar-cinnamon mixture
over the peaches and toss again. Save the remaining
flour-sugar-cinnamon mixture for another pie.
ASSEMBLY
1 egg white beaten
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon of cream
Note: The best pastry requires rolling on a floured pastry cloth with a
rolling pin covered in a floured pastry ‘sock’ and baking in a Pyrex
glass pie pan.
Divide the chilled pastry dough into two. Place one half on a lightly
floured pastry cloth and re-wrap the other half. Roll the pastry out to
approximately 1/4 inch thickness. Fold the four sides in to make a neat
square, flip the square over so that the folds are resting on the
pastry cloth. Roll from the center out until the pastry is
approximately 2-inches larger than your pie pan, cut the circle, fold
in quarters and set aside. Repeat the rolling/cutting process to make
the top crust, but before folding in quarters use a sharp knife to cut
air slits (make some in the shape of a P).
Line the pie pan with the first pastry circle letting the excess hang
over the edge. Paint the entire surface with the beaten egg white and
let air dry for a few minutes. Dump in the prepared peaches. Place the
second pastry circle carefully over the peaches. Turn the excess pastry
under. Crimp the edges closed all around the pie pan by placing the
thumb and middle finger of your left hand approximately 1-inch apart
(elbow out) and pulling the edge of the pastry dough between your
fingers toward the center of the pie with the forefinger of your right
hand. Do this all around the circle (sounds difficult but is quite
simple once you get the hang of it).
Generously anoint the surface of the top crust with the egg-cream
mixture (I use my fingers). Don’t worry if little puddles gather in the
crimped edges as they will evaporate while baking. Place the pie on the
middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pie
halfway and bake for another approximate 20 minutes (check after 10
minutes to confirm that it is browning evenly). When the crust is
golden brown and the peach juices are seeping through the slits, the
pie is done. Remove your masterpiece from the oven and cool it on a
wire rack until room temperature. The pie will look like a picture in a
magazine, and it will taste even better.
-(EP)