PEACH PIE WITH A KICK OF CARAMEL AND SRIRACHA

Peach Pie with a Kick of Caramel and Sriracha     makes one 9” pie

(inspired by Jessie who baked a mean peach pie and liked hot sauce in and on many things)

Prepare one recipe of pâte brisée (see nmmnp Fresh Cherry Pie with a Splash of Bourbon). You will only need half, enough to fit a 9” pie plate. Fold and crimp the edges and refrigerate while you prepare the filling. (Reserve and refrigerate the 2nd disc of dough for another use.)

Caramel Sauce           makes approximately 1 cup
(from Leslie Mackie)

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
generous pinch of salt

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar, salt and water. Whisk together to combine then bring to a simmer over medium heat. Use a pastry brush to brush the sides of the pan to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Simmer the mixture, don an oven mitt (this syrup is dangerously hot!) and carefully swirl the pan occasionally. The syrup will turn from brown to amber.  Carefully add the cream, stepping back a bit because the mixture will sputter. Whisk gently until incorporated, then whisk in the butter and salt. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. You will need ½ cup of the caramel for the pie filling. Reserve the rest to drizzle on top.

Pistachio Oatmeal Crumble

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup shelled pistachios
8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes

In a large bowl, using your fingertips, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cardamom, salt and pistachios. Add the butter, pinching the mixture together until it forms nice sized clumps. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Peach filling

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

3 pounds of ripe peaches, (preferably freestone) rinsed, peeled, pitted and thickly sliced (should yield 6 cups)
zest of one small orange
1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cardamom
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
½ cup of homemade caramel sauce, completely cooled
1½ teaspoons sriracha (this provides a substantial kick; adjust downwards if you wish)

In a large bowl, combine the sliced peaches with the orange zest and juice. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, cardamom, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine ½ cup* of caramel sauce and the sriracha. (*Taste the peaches- if they are not summery sweet, you may wish to add an additional tablespoon of caramel to the mix.) Remove the pie shell and the crumble from the refrigerator. Add the cornstarch mixture to the peaches, turning to coat evenly with a rubber spatula.  Add the caramel-sriracha, combining well. Turn the filling into the prepared pie shell and set on a parchment lined baking sheet. Crumble the topping over the pie and place strips of aluminum foil around the edges to prevent over-browning. Bake the pie on the lowest shelf of your oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce the temperature to 37j5 degrees and move the pie to the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for an additional 50 minutes, or until juices bubble thickly around the edges and peek through the middle (use a knife to move a few of the crumbs aside and test to see that the middle of the pie is hot and starting to bubble.) If the crumble is getting too toasty, cover it with a sheet of parchment paper. Cool the pie completely on a rack before slicing. This will take several hours; while you wait, secure a container of Ben and Jerry’s Pistachio Ice Cream from your grocer’s freezer. When ready to serve, drizzle each slice with additional caramel sauce and serve with a large scoop of pistachio ice cream.