PIE-A-DAY #58
This post comes to us Manuel Ortega, the pastry chef at Napa Valley Grille .
Farmhouse Blackberry Peach Pie with White Honey Glaze and Sweet Cream for summer
Crust:
6 oz chilled butter
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
About 3 Tablespoons iced water
Cut the cold butter into the flour and salt with pastry cutters or with two knives, Try not to break it with your fingertips since it will inevitably warm the butter and this will result in melting and therefore prevent the formation of the layered structure desired in the best pie crust. Once the butter is cut into small chunks resembling oatmeal, turn mixture into table and spread into a thin layer, add the add water in a thin stream covering the width of the flour and butter mixture, fluff the flour mixture gently and repeat a few times until small clumps appear and the presence of lose flour decreases dramatically. Scrape table and pile clumps and flour into a n area the size of twice the surface of your hands and press firmly with the heels of your hands, collecting all the clumps and pressing again a total of 3 times. DO NOT KNEAD. Press dough together and quickly wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hr.
Meanwhile, Preheat oven to 425, line 9″ diam. baking dish with parchment paper (this will allow you to unmold the pie after baking ) I have discovered that Pyrex type dishes make the best pies, they conduct heat wonderfully and you get a fully cooked bottom pie that doesn’t burn as easily as when using metal pans.
For the filling you will need:
5 cups of mixed fresh yellow peaches (sliced and skinned) and whole blackberries (always the ripest and never frozen)
1 cup of granulated sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 oz butter cut into small pieces
Sugar for sprinkling
Mix all these ingredients together and use to fill the pie in no longer than 15 minutes. The longer you wait to fill the pie, the more water the fruit releases, and this will affect the internal solidity of the pie.
Remove pie crust form refrigeration and quickly divide into 2 pieces: a larger one to line the bottom of your pie mold and a smaller for the top.
Flour your working table and beat the dough with the rolling pin to soften a bit and roll into a thin round, Place this on top of the parchment and line the bottom of the pie, pour the fruit mixture and press lightly to remove air pockets, brush very lightly with cold water the edges of the bottom crust and roll the top crust in the same manner, either cut a center vent or slice so the steam of the cooking fruit will escape without making the crust explode, crimp the edges and bring immediately to the oven for about 15-20 minutes, rotate a couple of times if your oven bakes unevenly. After 20 minutes the crust will be set, lower the temperature to 375-350 and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes.
The pie will be ready when the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling like a thick jam. Remove from oven and let cool completely before attempting to unmold.
I like my pie best at room temperature about 1 hour after baking. Top with White Honey Glaze and Sweet Cream.