Classic Peach Pie

My Father-in-law has a peach tree that would knock your socks off. 

I grew up thinking that peaches were an every-other-year kind of thing, but it turns out, there are peach trees out there that explode with a zillion peaches every. single. year. Lucky for us, his tree is one of them. 

Each year, starting in the middle of August, through the beginning of September, that peach tree won't shut off it's magic. We always try to eat up those peaches as quickly as we can, because we know another bushel of peaches is most likely on it's way. 

Some of our favorite ways we've used up the peaches have been:

Peach Crumble Bars 

Peach Almond Cake with Peach Soaking Syrup

5 Star Peach Crumble 

Rustic Peach and Ginger Galette 

White Chocolate Peach Ice Cream

Cinnamon Peach Ice Cream

His & Her Sunrise Peach Smoothies

Roasted Peach Lemonade

So we've been around the block before with these beauties. It's about time I share my favorite way to use up those gorgeous plum & juicy peaches... 

Making peach pie is actually pretty simple. Starting out with an amazing crust is key. The flakier the better. I also like my crust to be not very sweet - to counterbalance the sweet filling. 

Oh man, the filling. This filling is to die for. I've taken a basic recipe, and after trying the dang thing over and over again over the years, have finally come up with the most perfect combination of flavors that help elevate the peaches to a whole new level. 

I subbed in a little brown sugar for white. I think the deep, dark, molasses-soaked tones of the brown sugar brought out some seriously rustic undertones. White sugar is fine, but it's pretty bright for such a sultry pie. I also subbed the nutmeg for a bit of cloves. Sounds crazy to some, but trust me. Nutmeg is wonderful, but I love the flavor cloves brings to the table. Lastly, I added a touch of almond extract. Sounds like a bunch of random little flavors to toss into a pie filling, but really, there's only about 1/4 teaspoon of each, so its not all that much. You'll taste them in there, but it won't overpower and outshine the true brightness of the peaches. They are the star of the pie, after all! 

Pretty pretty please do me a favor when you make this pie. SERVE THE DANG THING A LA MODE. Peach pie should always & will always be served with ice cream. Always, always, always. The oozing cold vanilla bean ice cream should melt all over the warm peaches and butter crust. 

This is the beginning of fall, man. Right there. Staring you in the face. 

Classic Peach Pie

makes one pie

ingredients:

1 batch of the Never Fail Perfect Pie Crust 

1 egg, beaten

5 C sliced fresh peaches

2 T lemon juice

1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C white sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t ground cloves

1/4 t salt 

1/2 t almond extract 

method:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lay out half of the rolled out pie dough in one pie dish, leave an overhang. Prick the bottom with a fork and set aside. 

2. Place the sliced peaches in a medium bowl and gently fold in the lemon juice and extract. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Pour over peaches, and fold in gently until all there are no pockets of flour. Pour into prepared pie crust. 

3. Cover with the other half of the rolled out pie crust, and cut holes to vent the steam. Pinch the outside of the two pie circle crusts together, and fold/flute over to seal (in whatever decorative way you'd like). Brush the entire top gently with the egg wash. 

4. Place pie in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F, and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. Cover edges halfway through with aluminum foil to prevent from browning too much. Cool before serving, but not too much. Serve warm a la mode. 

recipe adapted from: Allrecipes