I picked up what I suspect are the last of the summer peaches at the farmer’s market on Friday.
Local pears, as has been the case for the past decade or so, were in very short supply. I fear they have fallen out of favor with the consuming public over the years and that as the trees die off they are replaced with more marketable fruit such as peaches or apples. For the life of me I can’t imagine why, I personally would choose a perfectly ripe, juicy Bartlett pear over a peach any day of the week. The problem may be image. Although there are glamour pears that are as gorgeous as they are delicious they are best procured from such fruit giants as Harry and David if you don’t live in Oregon or Washington. Our local conditions tend to favor only the lowly Bartlett. It is an excellent variety to my mind: iconic shape, sweet and juicy when ripe but with a very short shelf-life. It’s also prone to bruising and browning and presents overall as a less-than-perfect specimen in a world consumed with style over substance.
They are at peak eating for no more than a day so must be enjoyed on their time, not yours. They don’t keep well in the refrigerator like a peach will for a few days. And once the rot begins - from the core out generally – there is nothing that can be done other than to pitch them and hope for a better batch next time.
But that’s another post. This post is about peaches.
I’m making a pie because I have so many peaches and pie makes me happy.
This isn’t mine – I haven’t made it yet – but I hope it will look like this.
Peach Pie
4 c. sliced peaches (can use frozen peaches but make sure they’re thawed and at room temp)
3 tbs. corn starch
¾-1 cup sugar – depending on peaches sweetness
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp almond extract
1 ½ tbs. butter, cut in small pieces
2 prepared pie crusts (yes, I use Pillsbury, no I don’t consider it cheating)
Preheat to 400 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients together, combine well with peaches and almond extract,
Put peaches in pastry lined pie plate. Dot with butter and cover with second pastry. Crimp edges, trying to seal well to prevent boil overs. Make several slits for steam to escape, brush crust with a bit of milk, sprinkle lightly with sugar and place on a baking sheet if you want to prevent juices from getting all over your oven.
Wrap edges in tinfoil and bake for 40 minutes. Check and remove tinfoil. May take another 15-25 minutes depending on the juiciness of the peaches. Remove when bubbly and crust is evenly browned.
Maybe we’ll talk more about pears tomorrow.
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