HONEY PEACH SKILLET PIE WITH RASPBERRIES AND BOURBON CARAMEL

Makes  one pie, filling a 9" cast iron  skillet  

Cornmeal Biscuit Crust
(from Ken Haedrich)
 
2 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces
¾ cup cold sour cream
⅓ cup whole milk
 
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cover and refrigerate this mixture for 30 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to mix the dough.
 
Retrieve the dry ingredients and the cold butter from the refrigerator. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs with a few larger pieces of butter. Retrieve the sour cream/milk mixture from the refrigerator. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the sour cream/milk mixture all at once to the center of the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to combine the dry with the wet ingredients. Let the dough sit for a minute. Lightly dust a sheet of parchment paper with flour. Dust your hands with flour and turn the dough out onto the parchment. Gently knead the dough a few times then divide it in half.  Shape each half into a disc, then wrap each disc in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out.
 
On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll out one disc of dough into a circle about 12” in diameter. Without stretching the dough, carefully place it into a 9” cast iron skillet, allowing the excess dough to hang over the edge of the pan. Place the skillet with the bottom crust in the refrigerator. Take the second disc of dough and roll it out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper into a circle about 10” in diameter. Use a 3” round or square cookie cutter to cut out the “shingles” of dough to serve as the top crust. Slide the parchment with the top crust onto a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
 
Filling-
 
2 lbs. ripe yellow peaches, peeled, halved, pitted and sliced into thick wedges (about 5 or 6 peaches)
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch (depending on the juiciness of the peaches)
pinch of salt
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup honey (taste the peaches; you may wish to add an additional tablespoon or two of honey)
 
egg wash made from 1 egg yolk whisked together with 2 tablespoons milk or cream
 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
 
In a large bowl, toss the sliced peaches with the orange zest and juice. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, salt, and nutmeg. Add the honey to the peaches, stirring to coat with a rubber spatula then stir in the spice/cornstarch mixture. Retrieve the skillet with the bottom crust from the fridge and the baking sheet with the top crust. Pour half of the filling into skillet, sprinkle half of the raspberries over the peaches, then add the remaining peach filling  and raspberries. With lightly floured fingers, place the circles or squares of dough over the fruit, starting at the edge of skillet and slightly overlapping to create a “shingled” effect. Leave the very center of the top crust open to allow steam to escape. Seal the edges of the bottom crust to the top crust, roll the edges under and flute decoratively. Brush the top crust with egg wash. Place a baking sheet or a sheet of aluminum foil on the very bottom of the oven to catch any drips. Place the cast iron skillet on the lowest shelf and bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes, until the center of the pie is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let cool for at least two hours before serving. (If you can’t wait, be prepared to serve the pie in bowls. )
 
Bourbon Caramel                
 
⅓ cup cold water
1½ cups sugar
¾ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature     
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/2  tsp. vanilla extract
 
In a heavy-duty saucepan, combine cold water and sugar. Cook over medium high heat, for about 8 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally; do not stir. The mixture should turn from golden to deep amber. Carefully add the heavy cream, (mixture will bubble up) whisk to combine, then add the butter. Remove from heat and add the salt, bourbon, and vanilla.