Trust me, you’ll want a peach of this pie. I know you’ll ap-peach-iate how summery it is! # 78: Peach Skillet Pie

 

 

 

 

You read the puns and are still here? Then you deserve some skillet pie. One of my roomies brought home some perfectly ripe peaches so the hunt for a peachy-kean recipe began. I’ve made many versions of pie before; most notably a classic latticed pie and a galette. The recipe I landed on has a different approach: an biscuit-like crust baked in a cast iron pan. The end result being a delicious mix between peach shortcake and a peach galette.

*Side note: this recipe came from my sister, and she’s not sure where she found it years ago so I’m not able to cite the original author. On the bright side, this means I can actually type out the recipe for you in this blog! Hooray!

 

 

I have to admit, I’ll pick nectarines over peaches any day of the week. Peaches are just a little too sweet and flowery for me. Nectarines are super similar but are less reminiscent of perfume and have a brighter, more tart taste. However, if delicious peaches fall into my lap, I will bake with them 10 times outta 10.

 

If an impending mountain of dishes is scaring you away from baking, fear not. This can be made in nothing more than a mixing bowl and a cast iron pan! If you’re me however, you’ll use lots more bowls for fun. I love bowls. Especially the ones that stack like babushka nesting dolls.

 

Hopefully the only snow you’ll see in July!

 

If you’ve read my past posts, you’ll know that I don’t own a pastry cutter. Voila! I actually planned ahead and borrowed a cutter from my mom’s kitchen. Someday I’ll get my own – it’s one of those items that I never think about until after I’ve measured out the ingredients.

 

So I’m a big proponent for using what you have on hand. In this case, I had leftover heavy cream but had run out of milk. I didn’t dilute the cream with water because I didn’t want to mess with the liquid to solid ratio, so it was just a super rich version of the normal crust. Considering that heavy cream has a little over 30% fat typically and whole milk usually has 3 – 4% fat, it was bound to be richer. Next time, I’ll use 2% or whole milk and see the difference between the textures.

 

Time to shape the crust! To keep it from sticking to the pan, I “seasoned” the cast iron by wiping it down with oil and heating it over a low flame on the stove.

 

Have you ever blanched a peach? The magical moment when the peach skin slips off always reminds me how scientific baking is. Here are the four simple steps:

• Score the top of each peach
• Boil the peaches for 2-3 minutes
• Transfer them to ice water (this stops the cooking process.)
• Slide/peel the peach skin off

 

It’s that easy! This way, you don’t lose any of the fruit by slicing off the skin haphazardly. I can’t for the life of me find a good explanation of why flash boiling helps loosen the skin of soft produce (peaches, tomatoes, etc.) If anyone knows more about it, let me know.

 

These were so ripe, they almost fell of their pits when I sliced into  them. Summer magic, right there.

 

Happy golden pile.

 

 

A rare shot: the baker in action. I tucked the edges up around the fruit, almost like a galette, to keep the juice from escaping.

 

Top with a mix of brown and white sugars, cinnamon and a dash of salt. Add little dots of butter to the top of the fruit as well. Never enough butter!

 

 

Feeling rustic with my cast iron full-o-peaches. I added basil as a topper at the end because I love fresh herbs with my bakes! Add it if you want a savory bite along with the sweetness.

 

Recipe

Preheat conventional oven to 425° F.

Crust:

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 tbsp white sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4.5 tbsp butter (cold)
• 1/2 cup milk or cream

Mix the dry ingredients together and then cut the butter in until the consistency resembles sand. Pour in the milk/cream and mix with your hands until the dough is in one cohesive ball. Flatten inside a 8″ or 9″ cast iron pan (pre-seasoned so it doesn’t stick.) Make sure there is enough dough on the sides to partially fold over the peaches.

 

Filling:

• 3-4 large peaches (peeled and sliced)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tbsp butter (softened)

Blanch and slice your peaches. Pile evenly in the center of your flattened dough. Mix the dry ingredients together and sprinkle over the peach pile. Pull off small chunks of the butter and poke them in and around the peaches. Fold over the excess dough along the sides so there is still a window of fruit visible in the middle.

Bake for 25 minutes.

 

Ready? Set. Munch!