Making pie is my joy. It’s my relaxation, it’s my alone time and I think it’s past due that I share my recipe and frankly my love for peach pie.
Peach season is end of may-ish to end of september-ish, which is kind of a long time for a piece of produce. It is also great because you can enjoy peach pie for that much longer. There are two types of peaches in the world, cling stone and free stone. Described by their name, clingstone peaches “cling” to the peach, and freestone peaches are peaches that you can remove from the pit. I have used both types of peaches, in my honest opinion it doesn't really matter what type you use. Freestone peaches by nature are more likely to be bruised and damaged in prepping the peaches, but use any peach you can find.
Tips
Making pies for a long time I have come across a few principles. Acid, liquid sweetener, and gluten free thickeners. Acid can come in two forms when it comes to fruit pies, mainly lemon and lime. They bring two things, zest and juice. Zest for aroma and juice for acidity.
Honey is my preferred sweetener. It gives an even coverage, it adds another level of flavor, and It thickens better than plain white sugar.
Corn starch is the thickener. It is a natural thickener, it is less likely to leave a cloudy appearance like flour does. Corn starch is pure starch, so you don’t need as much as you do flour.
Lucky peach pie caught in 35mm
Recommendations
There is a debate in the pastry world revolving around metal or glass pie plates. At home I am fully team glass (specifically Pyrex). It cooks the pie evenly, it doesn't get too hot, and I can see what is happening in the pan. If I am bringing a pie somewhere, I will use a one time pie pan from the store, it still cooks how I want it to. Use what you have, but my recommendation is a glass 9” Pyrex pie plate.
Why call it “lucky peach pie”? This pie I included star anise, a seed that tastes of licorice and faintly of sassafras (root beer). It pairs with peaches and honey so insanely well that I couldn't not include it in the recipe. It is something that most people would not have, but if you have it or want to try it please please please add it. Dare I go as far as saying, it’s life changing?
Origin
Star anise originates in China, and has represented good luck and good fortune in Chinese culture if you found a seed with eight pods. So to honor that if you find the star anise in your slice of pie, well you get the picture. It’s a flavor that is unmatched and irreplaceable. I love it, I love the gimmick of it in this pie (unlike me) and it just makes eating this pie actually an activity and something to look forward to.
I hope people fall in love with peach pie, or any pie, like I have over the span of my life, and try different kinds of pies. (unfortunately I have convinced myself I will force myself to like pumpkin pie this fall, wish me luck).
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