Palisade-Style Peach Pie

Peach pie has never been a favorite of mine but after seeing some knocked-around sale-seconds representing the only produce in our corner store last weekend, I decided to give peach pie a second chance. Peaches are so good right now! I'm not sure how long the season will run here in the northeast, but this July Flame has brought a beautiful harvest. All in all, I was happy with the way the pie turned out and it was great to reflect on the season CB and I shared picking peaches in far west Colorado two summers ago. This pie will feed many hungry mouths, so invite your friends over. Our dusty, parkside, Brooklyn apartment had some unexpected guests show up and it was great to have this treat around to share with them.

Crust
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup cold earth balance
about 1/3 cup ice cold water

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Next, cut in the earth balance (margarine) with two knives or with one of those nice half-moon shaped tools if you have one. Add the very cold water in small parts, mixing quickly to ensure that all the ingredients stay cool, until the dough starts to stick together in a loose ball. You probably will use 1/4 - 1/3 cup water. Form the dough into two equally sized balls, cover with wax paper, and put it back into the fridge. Let it chill off while you work on the filling.

Filling
8-10 peaches (or as many as you can fill in your pan), pitted and sliced
1/3 cup flour
1/2 - 3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
tiny pinch of salt
juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix everything together in a big bowl. Taste a peach and decide if you need more lemon or sugar or if you want to get crazy and add something like ginger. If your peaches are really juicy, you might consider adding some more flour too.

Assembly
Preheat your oven to 425. Take one of your pieces of pie dough out of the refrigerator and roll between pieces of waxed paper until it is very thin. Place in pie dish and poke the surface with a fork so that any air can escape during baking.  Some people pre-bake their crusts but I almost never do, especially not when I am making a double crust like this one. Scoop your filling into the bottom crust and roll out your other piece of dough until it is very thin. Cover the filling with the dough and pinch together the outsides of the crust. You can get fancy here if you have the skills, or you can just pinch the edges with your thumbs like me. Sprinkle a touch of sugar over the crust and cut some vents into the top. Use a strip of foil around the edges of the pie crust to protect them from burning. Place in the oven and turn the heat down to 350. Let the pie bake for 50 minutes or until the crust is just browned, removing the foil if and when you feel it is necessary.

Enjoy, and don't forget to take a slice to your neighbor!
NRG