Happy Belated Memorial Day! While we may not all be apple-eyed, red-and-white-striped patriots, I’d like to believe that everyone has a connection to pie.
The flaky bits of crust––the sweetness and warmth of the filling––the possibilities of ice cream melting into the core––pie is celebration. And making a pie can be a celebratory process, too!
Last Thursday, Arata Farms returned for the summer season, bringing stone fruits in tow. Arata is an MCM staple––the farm has been in operation for 5 decades, and has been bringing peaches, cherries, lemons, and quince to mercado shoppers for years (really––here’s a 2012 recipe for Arata Farm pomegranate-poached pears).
Something about peaches make me dream of the slightly surreal; my elementary school playgrounds, tinted; sleeping in picnic blankets instead of bedsheets. When peaches come into season, I suddenly and simultaneously imagine myself to be a baker, a small child, and a party host.
Over this long weekend, I funneled my peach-dreams into mini-pies. I adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. The lemon juice in this recipe is essential––the tart kick of citrus compliments the flavor of the peaches and balances their sweetness. However, if you make this recipe with white peaches, which have a higher acidity than yellow peaches, consider adding less lemon.
I was impressed with how the peaches tasted after baking; the finished wedges were soft and full, and burst when you bit into them. However, consider adding more peaches than less––our pies were too sparse on the insides. The crust is a quick and easy recipe, and could be adapted for any pie, sweet or savory. If you are vegan, try a coconut pie crust. If you eat a raw diet, you can even make pie crust with dates from Palmero Date Shop.
This week, head to Mission Community Market to pick up stone fruits for some pies of your own! Try different combinations––I’m thinking of plums and blackberries, or apriums and raspberries. Let me know how they turn out in the comments below, or tweet @missionmercado with a picture of your results. The full recipe is after the jump!
Miniature Peach Pies
Serves 7-8
Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting surfaces
- 1 tablespoons (15 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 sticks (225 grams, 8 ounces, or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold
- 1/2 cup water, very cold
Filling:
- About 7 peaches, cut
- About 1 tbs fresh lemon juice, though more can be added to taste (I am a lemon advocate––we added the juice of a full lemon)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon table salt
- 3 tbs cornstarch
To make the crust, whisk together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut up the butter for easier integration, then work it into the dry ingredients with your fingers or fork. Work with the dough until the largest sections of butter are pea-sized. Next, slowly add the cold water until the dough is pliable but holds together. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate––you should refrigerate for about an hour, but we stuck our dough in the freezer for 30 minutes and it was stiff enough to work with.
Smitten Kitchen offers directions on how to slip your peaches out of their skins, but I like the texture and tartness of peach skin. If you are opting out of skinning your peaches, cut them into wedges (between 6-10 wedges per peach) and boil them. Mix together the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Take the peaches out of their boil, add lemon juice, then coat the peaches in the dry mixture.
To assemble, knead and flatten your dough, then cut out circles with a cereal bowl. Butter a medium-sized muffin pan, then lay the dough in each cup of the muffin tin. Spoon filling into the cupped dough, then cover with more dough. We cut strips of dough and wove them into pie-tops, then personalized with different designs.
These pies are perfect for a weekend-getaway, and fit snugly in a picnic basket or the palm of a hand. Top with cardamom ice cream for an unforgettable lazy-day treat.
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