Team Pie Love Baking joined in on the “double rainbow” victory trend, scooping up both Judges’ 3rd Place and People’s Choice Honorable Mention wins. A rosemary-infused crust brings this peachy treat to the next level! Continue reading for recipe…
Summer Love Peach Pie with creme fraiche whipped cream
by Pie Love Baking
Preheat oven to 425.
Ingredients:
For the filling:
5-7 organic peaches, peeled and chopped into 1.5″ pieces. Try a few different types of peaches to see which will be the best for pie. Hint: a peach that is good for eating on its own is not necessarily good for pie making. I think firm and not too sweet or overly ripe peaches are best for this. After it’s baked, I like to bite into a piece of peach, not a spoonful of mush.
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp lemon juice plus a pinch of lemon zest. If you’re peaches are sweeter, add more lemon. If you’re at the beginning of the season and they’re not too sweet, use less.
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp butter for dotting on the pie
For the crème fraiche whipped cream:
1 cup whipped cream
1 cup crème fraiche
The all-butter crust is basically a pate brisee. Recipes for that are easy to find. This dough is difficult to roll. As frustrating as it might be, let it be crumbly. I roll it onto parchment paper or a silpat to make life easier. Don’t overwork anything, you’ll develop gluten and that does not make a tender, flaky crust. Definitely let it sit in the fridge for a few hours. You will curse it. It will be delicious.
The key to the crust in this recipe is to roll it, and then sprinkle 1/2 a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary. Roll once or twice more to make sure the rosemary sticks in there.
Directions:
Mix the peaches, cinnamon, lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh rosemary, sugar and flour in a bowl. Roll out half of the pâte brisée slowly, sprinkling 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary in the last few rolls. Place the bottom crust in a 9″ pie plate with the rosemary side up.
Spoon the filling into the pie crust, making sure to get every last drop of yumminess. Don’t forget to dot the pie with 2 tbsp butter. I always forget this part and have to take off the top crust to get it in there. It’s THAT important.
Roll top pie crust and sprinkle rosemary again. Place this on top of the pie, rosemary side up. I trim the dough with kitchen shears, roll up the edges so that the filling can’t escape, and cut 5 slits in the top. I don’t bother brushing any milk or cream on top because there’s so much butter in the pâte brisée that it browns nicely on its own.
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 375 and bake for 35-40 minutes more. Nothing is more disappointing than an under baked crust, so make sure it’s a deep golden brown before you pull it out of the oven. Seeing the filling bubbling is another sign that it’s done. I place tin foil sheets at the bottom of my oven to catch any juices that spill over. That way, I can quickly remove the foil (and recycle it) before it starts smoking, or between pies if I’m baking more than a few.
Let cool on wire racks. Try not to cut into it for a few hours. If you do, it will be a little runny but still delicious. I never have the willpower to wait until it’s fully cooled and therefore enjoy runny pie.
Top with creme fraiche whipped cream. To make: whip the cream to soft peaks. In a separate bowl, whisk crème fraiche to loosen it. Add whipped cream to bowl and fold it into the crème fraiche. Yum.