Musings of a Vintage Junkie: glace pie

Showing posts with label glace pie. Show all posts

Sunday, August 5, 2018

I Finally Found THE Peach....A Vintage Pie Recipe

I had been making the same peach pie recipe for over 30 years (ie vintage recipe!). It is from my trusted Betty Crocker cookbook.

Then I couldn't find a good peach anymore. After some not so tasty pies I gave up making it but didn't stop searching for the best peach to make my Peach Glace` Pie again.

Every August during peach season, I would ask my friends what kind of peach they use. Recipes never named a specific variety. No one could tell me. "Just use any kind" they'd say. It seemed to be a lost cause.

Until I walked into Wegmans recently where a sweet lady named Patricia was handing out samples of peach slices. She was so cute with her short white hair and white eyeglasses to match.

I asked her the million dollar question....what kind of peaches are best for a peach pie? She pointed to a display of Lori Anne Peaches that were $1.99 a pound. She didn't try to sell me the more expensive variety that she was slicing up for samples, but told me to go get a Lori Anne and she'd let me try it.

Eureka! It is a perfect peach. Not too sweet, not too hard and pretty when it is sliced.

I bought a bagful and went home excited to make my peach pie!

I usually cheat and use a Pillsbury All Ready Pie crust but since I was too lazy to go get one, I used another favorite recipe from years past from my Junior League cookbook.

It is a one crust pie and the only baking you have to do is for the crust. Let's get started..

Peach Glace` Pie

Crust

2/3 cup shortening

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup boiling water

1 1/2 cups flour

Combine shortening with salt.

Add boiling water and mix.

Add flour.

Press crust into 9 inch pie plate.

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes or until golden.

Filling:

5 cups (7 medium) sliced and peeled peaches

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup water

3 ounces cream cheese softened

Cut up enough peach slices to make a cup. Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Gradually stir in water and chopped peaches. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Cool. completely.

Beat cream cheese until smooth and then spread on bottom of cooled pie crust. Fill shell with remaining sliced peaches. Pour cooked peaches over the top. Chill at least 3 hours or until set.

I just came back from having a slice (or two!) of this pie and it was all I had hoped for!! So fresh tasting and the crust was perfect for it. It was almost like eating peaches on shortbread.

CAUTION!!

Don't do what I did! You would think I knew better after making this for so long, but it has been a while. That is my excuse and I am sticking to it...….

Make sure you cook the peaches, sugar and cornstarch till fairly thick and then let it cool all the way down. In my excitement I didn't cook it long enough and it was too warm when I put it on the top of the pie. It all seeped through to the bottom.

The pie is supposed to have a thick glaze on the top that helps to keep all the peaches in place. It was still so good that I say who cares! I will do better next time!

***I had to come back and add this tip: If you have the time, put your peaches in a brown paper bag for 24 hours. It helps them ripen and sweeten up.

I hope you try this delicious pie! Enjoy!