updated 8/3/2018
0 Comments Jessie’s Cookie Pie Crust Makes one half sheet, 13” x 18” (or two quarter sheets, 9” x 13”) 3¼ cups + 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder 12 ounces (3 sticks, 1½ cups) unsalted butter, room temperature 3 - 4 Tablespoons sugar (depending on your sweetness preference) 3 eggs 1½ Tablespoons sour cream or plain, unsweetened yogurt 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder; set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just to combine. Scrape down the bowl then gradually add the dry ingredients on low speed. Scrape down the bowl again, add the sour cream and the vanilla, mixing just until the mixture comes together. (The dough is quite soft.) Turn dough out onto a well greased half sheet pan and with flour-dusted fingers, pat the dough evenly to line the pan. Chill while preparing the filling. Peach and Blueberry filling 2 pints of blueberries (4 cups) rinsed, stems removed, dried on paper toweling 6 - 7 ripe but firm freestone peaches, about 3½ pounds (see below for details on blanching, peeling, slicing) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon or orange juice For the syrup Reserved peach skins, pits, and juices 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest For the sugar and spice 2 tablespoons finely ground Minute tapioca 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, optional 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional The quantities are a little improvisational here. If you are using good-sized freestone peaches, about 6 or 7 should do the trick, teamed with 2 pints of blueberries. (I tend to err on the side of excess.) Rinse the peaches in cold water. Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water and ice; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Gently lower the peaches into the boiling water. Reduce the heat and let the fruit simmer for 2 minutes, just until the skins soften slightly. Use a large slotted spoon to retrieve one of the peaches; if the skin slips away easily, they are ready. If not, leave the peaches in the simmering water for another minute. Retrieve the peaches and place them in the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Working over a bowl, peel the peaches, (the skin should slip right off) saving the peach peels along with their juices. Halve the peaches, remove the pits (the pits should cooperate, hence the name ‘free-stone’) and then slice each half into four or five thick wedges. Place the slices into a mesh strainer set over a bowl so you can save the juices. Add the lemon or orange juice to the peach slices to prevent them from discoloring. Let the peaches cool down a bit; you don’t want to cover a cold crust with hot peaches. (Note: On occasion, I’ve been a little shy on either peaches or blueberries and have added a handful of stemmed, pitted cherries to the mix with no dire consequences.) Jessie used to cook the skins, the peach pits, and the reserved peach juices together with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 cup of water until the skins broke down and the liquid reduced. Then she removed the pits and strained the mixture, ending up with a peach flavored sugar syrup. To the syrup she would add ¼ teaspoon of almond extract. I also like to add a little orange or lemon zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 Tablespoons of finely ground Minute tapioca, ¼ cup granulated sugar and 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar. You can add a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, if you like. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Take your half sheet pan out of the fridge, sprinkle the tapioca/sugar mixture evenly over the chilled dough. Now place the fruit on top; you can alternate rows of peaches with rows of berries, or cover one half completely with peach slices and the other half with blueberries. When the pan is completely covered with fruit, drizzle the peach syrup over the top. It won’t cover the entire tray, but as it bakes, the juices from the fruit will bubble up and join the syrup. Place the sheet pan on the bottom shelf of the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees F. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 30-35 minutes. Keep an eye on things, you want the fruit to be tender, the berries to pop, the cookie crust to be golden. Neither the crust nor the pie is overly sweet, so teaming this with ice cream or whipped cream is a fine idea. If there are any leftovers, serve them with a little yogurt and a drizzle of honey for a perfectly acceptable breakfast.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
January 2025
|