Pies are never my first choice. In fact, I would argue that of all the desserts, pie is my least favorite. The only pies I ever crave are the traditional Thanksgiving apple or pumpkin pies. It’s not that I don’t like them, I think I just find them boring.
Andie & Luis invited us over for dinner last night so I offered to make dessert. As I was browsing through recipes and ideas, an image of peach pie jumped into my mind. A peach pie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. I couldn’t let go of the image so I decided to go for it.
Bonus: Peaches are in peak season right now so they are delicious and cheap. Our local grocery store is selling them at 99 cents/lb.
Peach Slab Pie
Adapted from EveryDay Food
Serves 12+
For the crust:
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp fine salt
2 tbsp sugar
4 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
2/3 cup ice water
OR 2 packages refrigerated pie crust
In a food processor, pulse flour, salt and sugar until combined. Add in butter. Pulse mixture until it resembles coarse sand. Then while the machine is running, add the ice cold water. Pulse until the dough is crumbly but still holds together when squeezed. You can add more water (1 tbsp at a time) if needed. Divide the dough into 2 disks , wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until firm (about an hour).
For the filling:
3.5 lbs peaches
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup cornstarch
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pie dough and cover the bottom and sides of a greased rectangular 9 x 13 pan. Wash and dry peaches. Slice them evenly into medium-thick slices. Add sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, almond extract and cornstarch. Mix until all of the peach slices are well coated and the cornstarch dissolves. Pour the fruit into the prepared pan.
For the top, you can chose to do a double crust or a lattice. I chose the latter. I simply cut strips from the dough and laid them out in a criss-crossed pattern. {Don’t be afraid to do it. The pie doesn’t have to look professional. I would argue that a rustic pie looks more enticing anyway.} Once you are ready, spray the top of the dough with non-stick spray and sprinkle with sugar.
Reduce your oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let cool for an hour. You must serve the pie with vanilla bean ice cream.
*I chose to leave the nutritious skin on the peaches, but if you prefer to remove the skin here’s how to do it.
