Perfect Peach Pie

I’ve asked before. Maybe you remember.

I asked you to describe your perfect afternoon. The sights, the smells, the whole situation. Can you taste it?

I shared mine. It was walking the streets of Charlottesville on a gorgeous Autumn morning, hand-in-hand with a plaid-shirted kid from ceramics class. The taste of that impossibly moist Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread we split and enthusiastically dunked into coffee over a game of chess in a hole-in-the-wall with a name I can’t remember and probably never knew, the flavor of an overly fantastic day.

Well, that was then and this is now.

That was him and this is them. This is Captain Kevin.

For a friend’s birthday, a group of us decided to hit the high seas (okay…the Chesapeake Bay) and charter a sailboat out of the middle of Where-the-hell-am-I, Maryland for an afternoon of drinking, sailing, socializing and, for me, pretending I was in the movie Jaws and mentally referring to myself as Hooper.

Adding to the atmosphere, our guide, a real-life Quint, Captain Kevin, a salt-of-the-earth boatsman who had it all. The leathery tanned skin, cigarette between his teeth, dented beer can in his calloused fist, that nautical nature that can make an old man sexy and scary at the same time. The attitude, that swag, the all important playful patronizing of this little sea-legged lass in a fancy dress, red-lipped, shooting off high-pitched giggles, thrilled by the adventure.

Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies. Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain. For we’ve received orders for to sail back to Boston. And so never more shall we see you again.

Between me and Quint, I mean, Capt. Kev, there is bound to be a romance novel in there somewhere…but that’s another fantasy…

Moving on…

I sat precariously perched on my actual boyfriend’s lap, his fingers closing around my waist as swells swayed us, and I watched as my favorite people filled their faces with my mini peach crumb pies. I felt bubbly and happy… and tipsy.

Glad to have friends and a reason to celebrate. Appreciative of the warm sun on my face and transfixed by gorgeous blues and greens that whizzed past me. Quite pleased to be wrapped up in the arms of my handsome man on this even more excellent Autumn day.

And well, flattered, tempted by but also a little uncomfortable about Captain Kev’s offer to sail to Florida with him and leave the world I know behind.

It was a perfect day deserving of a perfect pie. So what to do? Easy. My fail-safe AP Pie Dough is flaky and crisp, filled to the brim with juicy, sweet, lightly spiced peaches. And my favorite part? The crumb topping – sugary, cinnamon-y, crunchy.

Make one full pie or make minis. Either way you can’t go wrong and I promise your pie-eating pals will thank you for this picture perfect peach pie.

Ahoy! I mean…Enjoy!

To begin, make a half recipe of my All Purpose Pie Dough (click here for recipe)! Let pie dough chill in fridge for an hour. While the pie dough chills, make the crumb topping. Place brown sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Dice cold butter.

Add butter to dry ingredients.

Work butter in with hands until it is the size of peas and the mixture is like wet sand. Set aside.

To make the filling, chop peaches and place in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon.

Sprinkle dry mixture over peaches and stir to combine. Let the peaches sit for 30 minutes to release their juices.

Roll out pie dough and place in pie pan.

Fill with peach mixture, top with crumb topping, brush edges with egg wash.

Place in a 350°F oven and bake for 45 minutes. Cover the pie with foil and bake for another 25 minutes until the peaches are bubbling and the crust is golden.

Look at it. It’s the perfect pie. A little rustic, a little jazzy, juicy peaches, crunchy crumb – nothing beats it.

We ate it on a boat, you could too.

Would you believe my mom and I snuck onto a local boat for the shot?