Fresh Peach Pie

We are sadly coming to an end of peach season here in Central Texas.  I love a good, juicy, sweet, fresh peach.  Reid and I actually have 2 peach trees in our front yard that my dad planted around 2008 that we have managed not to kill.  Miracle!  This year we got a really good harvest from them.  Usually the birds or neighbors get to them before we do.  So back around July (before I was forbidden to eat pie by my gestational diabetes nutritionist) we picked about 1-2 lbs. worth of fresh peaches form our tree.  It was awesome.  Until I broke out in a skin rash. (I must be allergic to the fine hairs or splinters on the peach tree)

Our peaches are the small kind.  I think they are some French peach variety.  Real small and a bit firmer then what you'd find in Fredricksberg.  I blanched, peeled, cut and pitted them.  And made a pie.  It was a time-consuming, but relaxing Sunday project.

I do like to make my own pie crust if I have the time, and I made my own here, but you could just as well do a crumble top or store-bought freezer pie crust.  I think I Frankensteined a few peach pie recipes together to get this one.  One recipe was from a cookbook my in-laws' old church put together that I got for my bridal shower, one was from Cook's illustrated, one was from something online.  I can't honestly remember how I got here.  Sorry for not citing recipes!

Fresh Peach Pie
Ingredients
Pie Dough (based on Tartine's Cookbook Recipe)
makes 2 crust

• 1 lb. flour (3 cups and 3 tbs.)
• 1 lb. cold butter, cut in small cubes (4 sticks)
• 2/3 c. ice water
• 1 tsp. salt

Filling:

• 4 c. peaches, blanched, peeled, sliced, and pitted
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 3 tbs. flour
• 1 tbs. corn starch
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions
For Pie Dough:

1. Combine flour and salt in a large food processor with normal cutting blade.  Pulse to mix.
2. Add butter and pulse 5-10 times or until pea-sized crumbles form.
3. Slowly add water while mixing and pushing down sides of food processor.  Separate dough into 2 halves and wrap in plastic wrap.  Create 2 disks of dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. On a clean, floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough at a time.  If the dough becomes too warm, refrigerate again.  Your goal is about ~1/4" thickness.  Transfer to 9" pie pan and trim edges or freeze unused dough.
5. Unused pie dough will keep in the freezer for about 3 months.  I'll often have a disk of unrolled dough in the freezer ready for any last-minute dessert making hankerings.  Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 hours.

Fresh Peach Pie:

1. Preheat oven to 400* F.  Line the bottom of a 9" pie plate with dough.  Brush with egg wash. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together peaches, lemon juice and vanilla.  In another mixing bow, mix together sugar, flour, corn starch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Combine the dry ingredients in with the peach mixture and mix gently until well combined.
3. Pour peach filling into pie dough and top with second pie crust.  Flute edges to seal and cut designs into top to allow for steam to escape.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle 1 tsp. each cinnamon and brown sugar on top.  Place pie pan on a baking sheet to catch any pie drippings that may spill over.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 300*F and bake an additional 35 minutes or until pie is golden brown and filling is bubbly.  Allow to cool at least 45 minutes before serving.