White Peach and Blueberry Pie

I’m sure I’ve made it pretty obvious, over the last 100 or so posts I’ve written, that I *kinda* like to bake.  And I do it- A LOT.  So, I get a lot of practice.  And because of that, I’ve gotten pretty good at it.  But there has always been this one little baking subcategory that I just haven’t been able to master…

I live in Pennsylvania Dutch country.  For anyone who is not familiar, the Pa Dutch are pie experts.  Mavens!  Magicians…  If you’ve never had the pleasure of sinking a fork into a ground cherry pie, freshly baked by someone’s bitty little nana in her prayer cap, then you really haven’t experienced what pie is meant to be.

I will never live up to the pie standard of someone’s bitty little nana in her prayer cap, but that won’t stop me from trying.

These are some beautiful white peaches we picked up at a roadside stand in New Jersey.

White peaches burst with that same juicy nectar that dribbles down to your elbows, but are a little milder and sweeter than the regular kind.  Less floral-y and more sugar-y.

Few things in New Jersey could be more delicious than white peaches and blueberries in August…

For the Crust:
(from bake at 350)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter
approx. 1/3 cup ice water

Flour and salt in a big bowl.  In goes the butter and toss to coat.  Take it back out and set it aside.  Cut the shortening into the flour until crumbly.  Now flatten the butter with your hand until it’s about half an inch thick.  Break it into one inch pieces and add it back into the flour.

Dribble in ice water a tablespoon at a time, while stirring with a fork.  When it can be pressed and hold it’s shape, divide it in two, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll the rested dough out to a thickness of 1/4 inch.  Fold it into thirds, and then again into thirds.  Refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

While the dough is having nap #2, pit six or seven peaches and cut them into thick wedges.  Place in a large bowl with a pint of blueberries, 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract, and the juice of half a lemon.

Toss to coat.

Roll the dough out and place in the bottom of a shallow pie plate.  Pile in the fruit mixture.

Dot the filling with 2 tablespoons cold butter.  Roll the second piece of dough and cut into wide strips.  Lay them over the fruit in a woven lattice pattern.

Twist/roll the bottom crust up and over, pinching with the lattice and cutting away any excess as you go along.

Brush with egg wash (one egg beaten with a tablespoon of water), and sprinkle with sparkling sugar.

Bake for 90 minutes at 350 degrees, and cool completely before serving (so all the juices don’t run everywhere!).

A side note: baking a proper fruit pie is what I like to call a “labor of love.”  There needs to be some planning ahead.  I suggest you begin early in the day.  (You know that’s what the nana’s are doing!)  There are a lot of steps, but there’s plenty of down time in between.

Mr. Allie is a barbecuing fool and he smokes his ribs all day long.  I made this while he tended his barbecue.  It was that sort of a Sunday…

look at those flaky layers!

After gnawing away at Mr. Allie’s smoky ribs, we devoured thick slices of this fruit-laden, honey-sweet pie, and it was summery wonderfulness.  Wonderful summeriness.

But if there are any nana’s in prayer caps out there, I’d love to get some pointers…

Here is a 4×6″ printable recipe card for you to tuck away: White Peach and Blueberry Pie Recipe Card