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A bit of nostalgia and some delicious Peach Pie
October 27, 2010 - By Ashley Johnston 29 Comments
I know it’s the end of October and most people can’t find fresh peaches anymore. But I live in Georgia……and apparently, peaches are in season year round here. Ha.
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But I was at the grocery store this past weekend and came across a whole pile of locally grown peaches…..all plump and full of color. I just couldn’t resist. And the ironic thing, is that I actually looked for delicious local peaches all summer and couldn’t really find any that looked so perfect and plump as the crop I found this late in October.
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You see, I have a thing for perfect peaches.
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They must have plenty of peach-y aroma, be soft yet firm, have minimal fuzz, and offer a good amount of juice. Mmmmm.
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But if I bite into it and my mouth is offended by any of that meal-y/grainy texture….forget it, I’m through.
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I guess growing up on a 10 acre plot of land in southern AZ, with a little mini orchard off to one side, doesn’t help the peach snobbery. My father was not a farmer by profession, but man, he loved his hobby of producing fruit. Some of my most favorite memories as a child were climbing those cherry/peach/plum/apricot/pear trees, trying to shoo the birds away from stealing the tender fruit first, as I tried to fill my shirt and pockets with everything I could reach.
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I remember back in that memory of mine, that some years we had plenty of fruit to eat, can, and share with the neighbors. Other years, the trees were barren. I always hated those years. But there were times when those peach trees were so full of fruit that the branches weren’t strong enough to hold it all. (And then we were all tasked to the kitchen to peel, slice, and stuff those peaches into Mason jars for canning.)
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Ah, those were the years. I could pick the very best sun-ripened peaches to eat, right from the tree.
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Back to the present. Seeing those peaches at the store last weekend reminded me of all those years of picking/eating peaches as a little girl. Mmmmm.
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And one of my favorite things that my mom would use those peaches for…
Peach pie.
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Fresh and flavorful peaches turned into a true piece of heaven. Oh, the nostalgia.
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So yesterday, while my little monkeys were napping, I got right work……peeling and slicing those juicy peaches.
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Then I poured a nice layer of them into an already baked pie shell.
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The crust may look a little off because it’s gluten free. My favorite gluten free pie crust recipe comes from this cookbook here.)
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Then I mashed up a few more peaches and placed them in a medium saucepan,
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Then I added some sugar, water, and cornstarch and cooked the mixture over medium heat until it boiled.
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Then I removed it from the heat, added a bit of butter and a tad of almond extract…….and then poured the mixture over the sliced peaches in the pie shell.
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Then I let it chill in the fridge for a while. Well, as long as I could let it.Â
(But keep in mind that it is much better after it’s completely chilled.)
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All perfect and delicious and ready to eat.
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Mmmmm……just like I remembered it.
I couldn’t keep my fork out of this stuff.
(And yeah, maybe that’s all I had for dinner last night.)
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As I was sampling and taking pictures, the little ones woke up from their nap/quiet time, and realized I was snacking without them.
And since the weather is now extremely pleasant here in Georgia, we flung a blanket out on the back lawn, and all enjoyed a little peach pie picnic.
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It may have spoiled their dinner…..but mmmmm, it was so worth it.
Like mother like son/daughter.
Get it into that mouth as quickly as possible.
Much better that way.
Thanks for enduring that little bit of nostalgia with me.
Sometimes flavors and sights trigger the most powerful memories.
I love it when that happens.
If you’re interested, here’s the recipe that my mom always used.
(And I asked her where she got this and she told me it came from a lady at some conference, long before I was even born. So thank you conference lady!)
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Super Peach Pie
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- 5 large ripe peaches (or 7-8 medium sized ones)
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp almond flavoring
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 pre-baked 8 inch pie shell
Peel and slice 3 of the large peaches and place them into a cooked 8 inch pie shell. Set aside. Peel, slice and mash the other 2 large peaches and place them into a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and mix. Combine the corn starch and water in a separate bowl and then add to the saucepan. Combine well over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes until it boils and thickens. Remove from heat and add the almond flavoring and butter. Mix well and pour over fresh peaches in pie shell. Place pie in the fridge until completely chilled. Serve with whipped cream.
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