As September arrives every year, I experience the same thing—a reluctance to let go of the beautiful, sweet fruits of summer. I love them all. From June’s strawberries that almost taste like wine to the brilliant blueberries that grace my Fourth of July picnic.
But peaches might be my favorite. As summer wanes, I find myself asking my favorite farmers market vendors, “How much longer will you have peaches?” The answer is usually, “not long.” Only a little longer to make peach melba, peach marsala pie and bellinis for the cocktail hour. And I can’t possibly have my Cheerios without them.
A long time ago, my mother taught me how to make a very simple peach dessert that is the essence of summer. I think she claimed the recipe as her own but, between you and me, I think it belongs to Betty Crocker. Nevertheless, it is luscious and so easy.
It’s called a “Peaches and Cream Pie” and, other than the pie pastry dough, only has five ingredients. Both my mother and I always have made our own pie crust. There are many recipes out there and, once you get the hang of it, it is not hard. Recently, I have been making Ina Garten’s version. She uses butter and the food processor. To me, it’s the best homemade pie crust ever. But a bought pie shell will work too and makes putting together this dessert a snap.
Peaches and Cream Pie
Ingredients
- Pastry for a 9-inch one-crust pie
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 5 fresh peaches, peeled and halved
- ¾ cup whipping (heavy) cream
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Prepare the pastry dough and gently place in pie plate. Crimp the edges as you like.
- Stir together sugar and flour and place half of the mixture into the pastry-lined pan.
- Place peach halves cut-side down on the sugar, overlapping if necessary. Smaller peaches work best here and, sometimes, I sneak a few extra peach quarters in to fill the dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the peaches and then pour the heavy cream over all.
- Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
- Cover the edge of the crimped pie dough with a thin strip of foil to prevent excess browning. Remove the foil after the first 15 minutes of baking.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake 30 to 35 minutes longer until the cream is set.
- Cool and serve.
I hope you enjoy this beautiful “little dessert.” No need for ice cream!
So many of my life memories involve cooking and food. Is that the Italian in me? I will always remember the perfect late summer afternoon when I took my little boys to a country orchard to pick peaches. We stood on ladders and filled our basket until it was overflowing. When we brought the peaches home, they were still warm from the sun. What was I thinking and what did I do with all those peaches? I’m sure, I made “Grammy’s Peaches and Cream Pie!”
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