Peach Pie
A double-crust pie for very wet fruit — juice drained and reduced rather than just adding more starch.
Makes 1 9-inch pie · Prep 30 min · Bake 50 min
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 lb Ripe peaches, peeled and sliced — about 6-7 peaches
- 2/3 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 3 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
Pastry
- 2 Basic pie pastry dough, two discs
Finish
- 1 Egg, beaten
Instructions
Macerate
- Toss the sliced peaches with the sugar and lemon juice and let sit. (Tip: Peaches can release more liquid than almost any other fruit in this book. This maceration step matters more here than for a firmer fruit.)
Filling
- Drain the peaches thoroughly over a bowl, reserving the juice. Simmer the juice in a small pan until reduced by half and syrupy.
- Whisk the cornstarch into the reduced syrup off the heat, then toss back through the drained peaches with the cinnamon if using. (Tip: This removes the excess water directly rather than trying to thicken around it — piling on more starch alone tends to leave the filling gluey rather than actually fixing the wateriness.)
Assemble
- Roll out one disc of pastry and fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Fill and top with the second disc or a lattice, crimping and venting if solid.
Bake
- Brush with egg wash and bake at 220°C (425°F) for 20 minutes, then reduce to 190°C (375°F) and continue until deeply golden and bubbling.
Cool
- Cool at least 3 hours before slicing.
Tips
- Filling was still too wet even with the reduction: The peaches were probably exceptionally ripe and juicy. Reduce the drained juice further next time, closer to a thick syrup, rather than adding more raw cornstarch on top of what's already here.
- Peeling peaches easily: A quick dip in boiling water for 20-30 seconds, then straight into ice water, loosens the skins so they slip off easily — the same blanching technique used for tomatoes.