Peach Pie

I hosted book club this month and one of my favorite ladies from church brought 2 pies in honor of the book we read. I LOVED this peach one! I don't eat peaches nearly enough and I forget how much I love them. I think I have posted Susan's crust recipe before, but here it is again in a convenient place for when I try making this pie on my own!

Peach Pie
6 cups peeled, sliced peaches (she used frozen and said there is no need to defrost them)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons corn Starch
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400°.
Prepare crust for a 9" two-crust pie.
Mix the sugar, corn starch and spice together and then mix gently with the sliced peaches.
Place in prepared pie shell. Cover. Seal edges well and cut steam vents in the top crust.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until crust is brown and the juice bubbles through the vents.
Serve warm or cold.

Fool Proof Pie Crust
Cut together with pastry blender:
4 cups flour
1¾ cups vegetable shortening

Mix in small bowl or measuring cup:
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 egg
½ cup water

Combine two mixtures until moistened. Chill 15 minutes. Refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze. Makes 2 2-crust pies

Notes to the wise:
· All pastry recipes benefit from chilled ingredients. If your house is warm, chill the shortening. Use ice water.
· Any pastry will benefit from chilling before shaping. Any pastry can be frozen, airtight for up to 3 months. Label well.

Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pie Crust

I made the Pioneer Woman's version of chicken pot pie this week from her cookbook, but it's not posted on her website, which means I can't just copy and paste it :-). So, here's the pie crust recipe and I'll get around to the really good part later tonight or tomorrow. I am challenged as a baker and thought the pie crust turned out pretty tasty. It took me a little while to be able to roll it out and lift on top of my pie without it ripping, but eventually I succeeded. I divided this batch into thirds to top 3 pies (because in the book she says it makes think crusts and you can), but I think next time I would just use it for 2 so I have a little more to work with at the edges. It was tasty and I'm sure just as good as the bottom of a sweet pie as well!

Ingredients:

* 1-½ cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
* 3 cups All-purpose Flour
* 1 whole Egg
* 5 Tablespoons Cold Water
* 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
* 1 teaspoon Salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)

When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.

With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.