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A new peach recipe – Blueberry-Peach Custard Pie
Monday, August 27th, 2012Peaches from Palisade, Colorado are abundant this time of year, and oh so delicious! I’m always looking for new peach dishes, and after tasting this scrumptious Blueberry-Peach Custard Pie at my good friend Catherine Petros’ home, she happily agreed to share the recipe. Not only is this pie full of flavor, it’s also lower in fat. I’m not sure of the original author of this recipe; it has appeared in several newspapers around the country in various forms. This is my adapted version.
Blueberry-Peach Custard Pie
(Serves 8)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup skim milk (OK to use 2%)
3/4 cup nonfat, plain Greek-style yogurt
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 pie crust (Pillsbury roll up works perfectly!)
1 heaping cup blueberries
1 heaping cup peeled, sliced peaches (can substitute fresh raspberries)
Position rack in lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Spray a 9-inch pie pan with nonstick cooking spray (I like to use grapeseed oil).
In medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk, yogurt, eggs and extract until blended. Whisk in the flour, cornstarch and salt until smooth and set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll pie crust into a 12 inch circle. Place crust in the pie pan and, if needed trim so it overhangs edge evenly by about 1 inch. Fold edges under and crimp or flute. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet.
Arrange peaches in the bottom of the crust . . .
. . . and top with blueberries in an even layer. Pour the filling on top (the fruit will float but this won’t affect the final results).
Bake for 25 minutes, remove from oven and cover edges of the crust (I like to use Mrs. Anderson’s Pie Crust Shield, but you can also use foil) to help prevent over-browning.
Reduce heat to 350 degrees and return pie to the oven. Bake another 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted at the center of the pie comes out clean.
Let cool for 1 1/2 hours. Pie will settle during cooling. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Palisade Peach Pie Recipe
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012(Serves 8 to 10)
Every September we look forward to the delicious peaches from Palisade, Colorado. I like desserts that I can make ahead for entertaining, so I set out to find a method for making peach pie and freezing it so that the fresh flavor of the peaches is preserved yet the crust doesn’t get soggy after baking. After much research, I decided that the best method is to freeze the crust and filling separately. At the bottom of the directions we explain how to make the pie if you want to bake it immediately. Use this freezing method for any fruit-filled pie.
Crusts
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut up into small pieces
3 tablespoons shortening (we like to use Crisco), cut up into small pieces
1 large egg
5 to 6 tablespoons ice water
1/2 cup ground almonds
Pie Filling
2 1/4 pounds medium-sized ripe peaches, peeled and sliced 1/4 to 3/8-inch thick
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (depends on sweetness of peaches)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon mace
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up into small pieces
1 egg, beaten (for egg glaze)
To make the crust
Place the flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cover and pulse 2 or 3 times to mix the dry ingredients. Add the cut up butter and shortening and process 5 to 10 seconds until the dough has the texture of rough cornmeal. Add egg and 3 tablespoons of ice water and pulse 2 to 3 times. Add ground nuts and 2 tablespoons of ice water and pulse 2 to 3 times. Watch the dough carefully and stop the machine as soon as the dough starts to clump together. It will look rough and lumpy and there may be pieces of butter and egg. If it looks too dry and crumbly, sprinkle in a little more water and pulse 1 more time. Pinch the dough together with your fingers; if the dough holds together, it is done. Do not allow the dough to form a ball on the machine blades as it will be overworked and tough.
Turn dough out onto a piece of wax paper. Form the dough into 2 balls of the same size, wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (or up to several hours). On a lightly floured work surface, roll one ball of dough into a 12-inch circle. Sandwich the pastry round between two pieces of wax paper set on cardboard backing or large cookie sheet. Repeat with second ball of dough. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and freeze (if using a cookie sheet for support, wrap dough in foil, then set on sheet; remove cookie sheet once crusts are frozen).
To make the pie filling
In a large mixing bowl, toss the peaches with the cranberries, lemon juice, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace and cornstarch.
To freeze the filling
Center a 12-by-24 inch piece of foil over a 9-inch pie plate. Mound the peach mixture on the foil over the pie plate and pat it down into the dish. Sprinkle the pieces of butter over the top. Fold up the foil, pushing out the excess air to seal. Leave in the pie plate and freeze. Once frozen you can remove the pie plate and leave the filling in the freezer.
To assemble and bake the pie after freezing
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Thaw the pie crusts for about 10 to 15 minutes. Don’t thaw the filling. Line a 9-inch pie plate with one of the crusts. Brush with egg glaze (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water). Place the peach filling (frozen) inside the crust. Cut steam vents in the top crust, moisten the edges of the bottom crust, then place on the top crust. Fold the edges of the top crust over the lower one and pinch to seal. Mold the edges into a fluted rim. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, raise pie to center of oven, cover pastry edges with foil and continue baking for another 35 minutes or until bubbly and light brown on top.
To assemble and bake the pie immediately
Line a 9-inch pie plate with one of the crusts. Brush with egg glaze (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water). Place the peach filling inside the crust. Sprinkle the pieces of butter over the top. Cut steam vents in the top crust, moisten the edges of the bottom crust, then place on the top crust. Fold the edges of the top crust over the lower one and pinch to seal. Mold the edges into a fluted rim. Bake for 10 minutes in bottom third of oven at 425 degrees, followed by 35 to 40 minutes in the center of the oven at 350 degrees. Place foil on crust when it looks like it is browning too fast.
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