Ask Jen about being peachy

August is National Peach Month. I bet the entire State of Georgia is smiling.

How do you eat peaches? Do you peel them first, or just go at it like you do an apple? Or, do you simply just open the can? I know, you spread peach preserves on toast. Do you only eat them if they’re baked in a pie or cobbler (with vanilla ice cream, of course)? My mom peels them and salts them. My sister-in-law peels them, puts them in a bowl, sprinkles them with brown sugar and pours milk over them. Interesting.

Me? All of the above, obviously. (Seriously, people, you should know me well enough by now.)

In the summertime, when they’re super fresh and yummy, I tend to eat a lot of plain raw peaches — I LOVE them in Greek Yogurt — but in the off months, I like to bake with frozen peaches. That’s kind of my thing at Thanksgiving: bringing the peach pie and ice cream (because the ice cream is of utmost importance). The peach cobbler, on the other hand, is my mama’s thing for our annual 4th of July picnic.

I have a peachy family. (See what I did there?)

All of this peach talk has me hungry for a ripe snack.

Now, please excuse me while I clean up the peach juice running down my arm.

Go make something awesome,
Jen

Homemade peach pie

The best pie crust ever:

1-1/2 cup shortening
3 cups All-purpose Flour
1 Egg
4 Tablespoons ice-cold water
2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Salt

1. In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, blend the shortening and flour.

2. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add water, vinegar and salt.

3. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

4. Separate the dough in half. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough and place them (sealed in plastic) in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Roll the dough on a floured surface until they’re about 1/2inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.

6. With a spatula, lift the first dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan, and prepare it for the filling. Have the other half ready to go after the filling is prepared.

For the Filling:

8 large fresh, peaches
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
1 egg, beaten
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Peel and slice peaches, set aside. Stir together sugars, cinnamon, salt, and flour in a bowl; add peaches, stirring to coat. Immediately spoon peach mixture into pie crust, and dot with butter.

2. Carefully place second pie crust over filling, cutting off excess, and pinching edges together. Brush top of pie with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. Cut a few slits in top of pie for steam to escape.

3. Bake at 425° on lower oven rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°; bake 40 minutes. Cover loosely with foil to prevent excessive browning, and bake 25 more minutes or until juices are thick and bubbly (juices will bubble through top). Transfer to a wire rack, serve warm or cold.