SAY GOOD-BYE TO PIE WITH A SOUPY FILLING AND LACKLUSTER PRESENTATION

I’ve  wanted to bake a peach pie for some time with the beautiful fresh peaches at the farmers markets currently. 

 I also thought it would be the perfect ending to the lunch of Zucchini Soup and Salade Nicoise I had been planning. 

However, unlike most other fruits, the ripe peach with its abundance of juices can be problematic when baked in a pie.

 It seems the very thing which makes those juicy peaches so delicious when eaten out of hand can contribute to a soggy crust and a too juicy pie.

How many times have you cut into a beautifully baked peach pie only to find a torrent of juices being released into the pan and the peaches tumbling out?  

Sadly, that perfect beautiful slice you anticipated was not to be.

So in my quest for finding a recipe for the perfect peach pie I realized I had a copy of Cooks Illustrated which I had not completely read, and inside it was a Fresh Peach Pie recipe !

Who else but Cooks Illustrated might be equipped to solve my problem? 

I quickly turned to the page and just as quickly got lost in the many instructions and steps to making this pie,,,it seemed quite challenging to say the least.

My initial reaction was no way, but as I reread the recipe several more times I began to see how they most likely knew what they were talking about.  

After all, they did all the work of detailed research and  recipe testing, and all I had to do was get organized, and be the beneficiary.

So glad I did.

The finished pie looked and smelled amazing, but the true test came when I served it to our friends at lunch. 

 It cut beautifully with a minimum of juice and peaches leaking out onto the pie plate.

The peach filling was bright, juicy and flavorful, the pastry held up to the filling, but yet was flaky and rich. The lattice topping provided the perfect crunch with each bite.  

I was definitely glad I challenged myself by baking it, and learned quite a bit along the way. 

And here are some of the tips direct from the editors at Cooks Illustrated!  

You can find the complete recipe for Fresh Peach Pie in the recent issue titled ALL-TIME BEST SUMMER COOKOUT RECIPES … 2019

And here are some of the tips direct from the editors at Cooks Illustrated… 

SECRETS TO MAKING THE PERFECT LATTICE-TOP PEACH PIE  

SECRETS TO A FILLING THAT ISN’T SOUPY

The juiciness of a perfect summer peach is sublime—except when it wreaks soupy havoc when baked in a pie. To tame the moisture in our perfect Fresh Peach Pie, we first macerate the peaches to draw out some of their juices and only add some of it back in. We also use both cornstarch and pectin to bind the filling, because we find that using two thickeners leaves the pie with a clear, silky texture and none of the gumminess or gelatinous texture that larger amounts of either one alone produces.

1. LIMIT THE JUICE: Macerating large chunks of peaches and reserving the resulting juice allows us to add only as much liquid as the filling can handle—no more.

2. ADD PECTIN (AND CORNSTARCH): A combination of pectin and cornstarch keeps the filling smooth, clear, and moist without being soupy.

3. MAKE A STICKY MASH: A bit of mashed-up peaches added to the filling acts like glue, preventing any peach chunks from falling out of a slice.

SECRETS TO AN EASIER LATTICE TOP

We also found that when it comes to a top, lattice is the way to go. Not only does it look beautiful, making for a great presentation, but it lets the right amount of steam out, ensuring that your pie won’t bubble over or rupture in the oven. And with some tinkering, we found a way to make a lattice top that’s easy as, well, pie.

Making a lattice top for a pie can be intimidating. But it’s not if you use our simple technique: Freeze strips of dough and then arrange them in a particular order over the filling. Done properly, our approach gives the illusion of a woven lattice, with less effort.

1. ROLL AND CUT: Roll dough into 12-inch circle, transfer to parchment paper–lined baking sheet, and cut into ten 1 ¼-inch-wide strips with a fluted pastry wheel, pizza wheel, or paring knife. Freeze for 30 minutes.

2. LAY AND WEAVE: Lay 2 longest strips perpendicular to each other across center of pie to form cross. Place 4 shorter strips along edges of pie, parallel to center strips.

3. FINISH AND TRIM: Lay 4 remaining strips between each edge strip and center strip. Trim off excess lattice ends, press edges of bottom crust and lattice strips together, and fold under.

Again, the full recipe is available in the  COOKS ILLUSTRATED ALL-TIME BEST SUMMER COOKOUT RECIPES! Lots of other good stuff there, too!