Making the most of the fresh fruit season, here are two variations on Peach Cherry Pie. They use identical ingredients (though there is some variance is the measurements of those ingredients), but what I was trying to show is that recipes are fairly flexible. When you don’t want to make the same thing over and over, changing something as little as the topping can make something familiar be something new. I love that.
Peach Cherry Lattice Top Pie
Ingredients
for the pastry
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
6-8 tablespoons ice cold water
for the filling
6 large ripe peaches, pit removed, peeled and cut to 1 inch chunks
3/4 pound bing cherries, pitted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons coarse sugar
Directions
Prepare your crust: In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter, blending until the mixture resembles coarse sand (with some larger pieces of butter). Add in four or five tablespoons of the ice water, using a fork to mix the dough together. Add more water, one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough comes together in a slightly crumbly ball. Turn the dough out to a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to shape the dough into two flattened discs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours (up to 24 hours).
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9 or 10 inch pie plate with baking spray.
In a work bowl, combine the prepared fruit, sugar, spices and corn starch. Blend thoroughly. The mixture will have a slightly cloudy look from the corn starch.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough disks to a 12 inch circle. Place in pie plate and crimp edges. Dock the pastry with a fork a few times, all the way to the edges. Pour in the fruit mixture. Roll out the other dough disk to a long sheet and cut bands. Create a lattice top over the pie and anchor to the crust. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with a tablespoon of water. Brush over the pie dough. Sprinkle with coarse sugar before placing in the oven.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the filling in bubbling and peeking through the lattice top. Let cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving.
Peach Cherry Crumble Top Pie
Ingredients
for the pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
3-6 tablespoons ice cold water
for the filling
6 large ripe peaches, pit removed, peeled and cut to 1 inch chunks
3/4 pound bing cherries, pitted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons corn starch
For the crumble topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons coarse sugar
Directions
Prepare your crust: In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter, blending until the mixture resembles coarse sand (with some larger pieces of butter). Add in four or five tablespoons of the ice water, using a fork to mix the dough together. Add more water, one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough comes together in a slightly crumbly ball. Turn the dough out to a lightly floured surface. Use your hands to shape the dough into a flattened disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours (up to 24 hours).
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9 or 10 inch pie plate with baking spray.
In a work bowl, combine the prepared fruit, sugar, spices and corn starch. Blend thoroughly. The mixture will have a slightly cloudy look from the corn starch. In another work bowl, Whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, spices and sugar. Cut in the butter with your fingers or a fork until it looks like coarse sand.
On a lightly floured counter, roll out your pie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Line the prepared pie plate with the rolled out dough, removing any excess and making a pretty rim. Pour in the fruit mixture and then sprinkle over the crumble topping. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the filling in bubbling and peeking through the crumble top. Let cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving.
