Peach Pie
As hard as it is for me to grasp, this is the first time I've ever made a peach pie! I grew up eating plenty of mixed berry, boysenberry, cherry, lemon meringue, pumpkin, and apple pies - but somehow skirted the peach until this summer. Aside from the blanching of the peaches (which really takes so little effort compared to what I'd expect) it's such a simple filling. I love the lemon and cinnamon, bringing some tang and grounding to the sweet fruit. It's really the perfect way to use up an entire bowlful of ripe peaches for something special. This, and making a batch of peach jam. Which I'm doing this week to round off my incredibly 'peachy' summer.
As for the crust, I tried an olive oil crust the other week for my all berry pie (see here) and was really pleased with the outcome. It's less flakey than traditional crusts, but has a really delicious flavor. This is one of those special occasions I pull out the bottle of olive oil for, because I just cannot see another way around making a decent pie crust. You can go all out and treat yourself to a few vegan 'buttery' sticks if you'd prefer here, but the perk of an oil crust is no chilling! One less step to dissuade me from tackling a pie.
The crust here is darker because of my addition of rye flour to my sifted red spring wheat (both from Eat Grain, they mill some really beautiful flours). But you can use all sifted wheat or spelt flour here. Gluten free pie crusts are really tough and not my forte, so I won't even try to make a recommendation. I'm sure there are lovely ones that Google can find for you if you need!
As for the ice cream, it hails from one of my favorite plant based ice cream cookbooks, Nice Cream, by Virpi and Tuulia. Its the best vegan vanilla ice cream I've ever had, and I hear the same praises sung by everyone I've recommended it to - so if you can, whip it up!
x Jessie
Peach Pie
Makes one 9 inch pie, and a quart of ice cream.
olive oil crust
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup whole grain rye flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons coconut sugar
10 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
peach filling
6 medium peaches
1/3 cup coconut sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
vanilla ice cream
1 can full fat coconut milk
3/4 cup cashews, soaked
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean seeds
Preheat the oven to 425F.
Begin by making the peach filling. Blanch the peaches in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water. Once the peaches are fully cooled, pull them from the ice bath and slip off their peels. Core and slice the peaches, and toss with the remaining ingredients for the filling in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Make the pie dough. Combine the flours, salt, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Pour over the olive oil, and mix well with the flour. Add the vinegar and water, and mix with a sturdy spoon or fork until the dough comes together. If it seems too dry, add another teaspoon or two of water at a time until it comes together. Divide the dough in two disks.
Roll out the first disc of dough on a lightly floured surface. The dough may seem dry with cracks, but as you roll the dough it should come together really well. Keep rolling until you have a 12 inch disk about 1/4 of an inch thick. Roll the disk of dough around the rolling pin, and unroll over your pie plate. Press it into your plate, there should be quite a bit of overlap on the sides, this is okay and will be trimmed away later.
Roll out the second disc of dough the same as the first, but slice into 1 inch strips. Pour the peach filling into the pie dish, and begin laying your lattice work with the strips of pie dough. (See tutorial for lattice here.) Leaving an inch or so of extra pie dough around the edge of your dish, trim away the excess dough using a sharp knife (or pinch away with your fingers). Gather the extra dough and press into your desired mold for the edge of the pie crust.
Brush the top of the dough with your choice of plant milk, such as soy or almond. Sprinkle with plenty of coconut sugar (optional), and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes at the preheated 425F, then lower the oven temperature to 350F and continue baking for another 30 to 35 minutes. The crust should be a nice golden brown, and the peach filling should be bubbling.
Set the pie to cool on a wire rack, uncovered, until it reaches room temperature (anywhere from 4 to 8 hours). Serve with vanilla ice cream (instructions below) and store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy within one week.
make the ice cream
To make the vanilla ice cream, soak the cashews for a few hours in filtered water, then drain and blend with the remaining ingredients in an upright blender. Transfer to your ice cream machine and process as per it's instructions. Freeze for a few hours to fully set, and scoop to serve. If enjoying after it's been freezing for 12 hours or longer, set on the counter to thaw for 15 to 20 minutes before attempting to scoop.
