a recipe from
The Gilmore House Inn
Westport, Ontario, Canada.
Classic Peach Pie ( recipe from the Osgoode Bakery )
Preheat oven to 425° F rack at one position lower than centre
You may wish to prepare the crust before preparing the filling, so that the filling does not stand too long … if the filling is made ahead of time, the sugar will pull water from the fruit, making the filling too runny … for a juicier filling, allow the filling to stand at room temperature, stirring gently occasionally
Crust Ingredients and instructions: makes 1 pie serves 6-8
2 c cake and pastry flour unsifted
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 c lard plus 2 tbsp cold butter
3 or 4 tbsp cold water (approximately)
sift the flour and salt together into a bowl
cut the lard into 1” ( 2 cm ) chunks and drop into the flour, keeping the pieces separate.
use a pastry blender or a pair of knives to cut the lard into the flour until the mixture resembles fairly course oatmeal.
cut in the butter until it is the size of peas
stir gently with a fork and sprinkle in the water 1 tbsp at a time until the flour is evenly moistened
gently form a ball by pressing the moistened bits together until the flour mixture cleans the bowl … add more water sparingly if needed. Gather into a firm ball.
divide the ball into “a larger half and a smaller half” … approximately 2/3 and 1/3.
set 1/3 of the ball aside for the top crust, and roll the remainder for the bottom crust.
cut a circle bigger than the diameter of your pie plate, and transfer the bottom crust to the pie plate …trim the edges even with the rim of the pan.
rub approximately 1 tsp of flour on the bottom crust before adding the filling.
roll out the top crust so that it is bigger than the pie plate.
Classic Peach Pie
Filling Ingredients and instructions:
3½ to 4 cups fresh ripe peaches, peeled and chopped into medium sized chunks (approximately 16 pieces from each peach is usually a good size)
2/3 to 3/4 c sugar … the amount depends on the ripeness … use more when the fruit is less ripe … too much sugar will make the filling runny …if you prefer a sweeter pie add more sugar and increase the amount of thickening
4 tbsp flour OR 2 tbsp cornstarch OR 2 tbsp tapioca … ( for thickening )
( this filling is for an 8 or 9 inch ( 20 cm ) pie plate …for a bigger pie, add more fruit, sugar and thickening )
combine the sugar and thickening … sprinkle it over the fruit … stir gently
pour the fruit into the bottom crust
Assembly and baking
moisten the top edges of the bottom crust with water, and transfer the top crust …trim the top crust to approximately 1” ( 2 cm ) beyond the rim …fold the extended edge under the moistened edges of the bottom crust and press together … crimp the edges
cut generous gashes in the top crust … this will allow steam to escape during cooking and prevent the creation of an empty space above the filling … cut a hole in the centre to allow you to see that the filling is bubbling
bake at 425° F for 20 minutes … reduce the temperature to 350° F … continue baking for approximately 20 minutes … the filling should be bubbling
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Enjoy Sandi and Liz