Just Peachy

I love pie! Let's just get that basic bit of information out of the way. There are so many reasons for this love, many of which I'm sure I'll cover in this little blog as time goes on. 

August is, in some corners, known as National Peach Month as this is the time of year when the peach is at it's height of availability. Growing up in a Northern Kentucky suburb we had a funny little peach tree that never quite yielded much fruit, but when it did those peaches were so precious. For this reason I think peach pie might just be my favorite (today anyway).  I want to celebrate the month by making a different peach pie each week. This first installment comes from one of my very favorite pie books, The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book. In the book they have a couple takes on peach pie, but my personal favorite has been the Paprika Peach.  It has a lovely warmth and spice to it, and the color the peaches turn from the addition of paprika is something you have to see in person. The recipe calls for a sweet variety of the spice, luckily the friendly faces behind the Colonel De's counter at Findlay are just a hop skip and jump from Piebrary headquarters. The Hungarian paprika they have on hand is my paprika of choice for this recipe.  I've tweaked it a bit here and there, added some cornmeal, maybe a touch more heat, but it's been one of my most challenging and rewarding pies to master. 

Peaches can be difficult little buggers to work with, especially if you need to peel them. Blanching peaches is the easiest way to get the job done. Ideally the peaches will be fairly ripe otherwise this process can be quite difficult. By heating and then cooling the peaches the skin is loosened and hopefully will slip right off. After that all you need to do is slice them and add your spices.

Next comes a very serious decision...to lattice or not to lattice. If you want a quick way to make a pie look really pretty lattice top is the way to go. You get a little extra of that yummy crust and also a sexy peak at the fruit inside. Yes, I said it pie is sexy.  

Don't forget crimp youR pie not your hair! Whether you use a fork crimp or a finger crimp is up to you, but sometimes fork crimped pies tend to brown quicker. To keep your fork or fingers from sticking to the dough when working on the edge dip them in some flour first. Brush the top with an egg wash and bake that baby.

It's pie! I have always loved pie. I hope you do too. You can find the full recipe to make your own Paprika Peach Pie here.