Towards the end of July, the “July Prince” peach and the “Red Globe” are in season and make for phenomenal pie fillers, garnishes, and succulent slices on their own. For this pie, we used “Red Globe.” These peach varieties stay firm and have a marvelous blend of peachy tartness and natural sweetness. If you ever have the chance to pick peaches right from the tree, I recommend braving the heat for this delectable treat! Here are a few of this Farmer’s favorite peach varieties for cooking and eating in general, whether right off the tree or from your favorite farmer’s market!
- Gold Prince
- June Prince
- July Prince***The Prince series are super peaches…tasting just like a peach!
- Red Globe***Sweet and Tart…great for baking and slicing
- Elberta***A Southern Staple…yellow fleshed with red flashes…sweet too!
- White Lady*** UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!!!
- Southern Pearl ***Marvelous white flesh peach…champagne colored and sweet
- Harvester ***Often a good “backyard orchard” tree…free stone and yellow fleshed – yum!
Any of these peaches make a fabulous pie, and speaking of the latter; here is the “how to” on Mimi’s Peach Pie…easy and elegant! Enjoy!
Mimi’s Peach Pie
**Cooks note…use my Peach Tart Dough recipe for your crust and topper…yummo!
- About a dozen or so peaches, peeled a personal preference.
- 3 ½ tablespoons of minute Tapioca
- Tablespoon of Cinnamon
- A scant cup of sugar…depends on cook’s palette and sweetness of the peaches.
- 3 Tablespoons of melted butter…for topper.
- 1/8 cup of vanilla sugar…for topping. Sugar infused with a vanilla bean pod.
- Tablespoon of Cinnamon…for topping.
- 1 deep dish pie pan and 1 baking sheet…use this underneath the pie in case it bubbles over.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out the pie crust, lining the dough into the pie pan. Reserve the second crust for the topper…cut out leaf shapes if you’re feeling crafty!
Mix together Peaches, tapioca, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.
Add Peach mixture to the pie pan and then start your leaf topper…I began with the center and worked my way outwards…covering and layering the leaves in rough concentric rings. If not using “leaves,” just cover the pie and press down the edges with a “finger” design or fork.
See apple pie post for leaf configuration.
Glaze the leaves with the Drawn butter and then sprinkle the leaves with sugar and cinnamon…if not using leaves, just glaze the topper…cut a couple slits for ventilation.
Bake at 350 until golden and bubble…about an hour. if you want it “pretty” for serving, let It rest. If not, dig right in! Peach mush tastes just fine!
Serve warm with good vanilla ice cream…a la mode is French for “in style,” so don’t be out of style without your ice cream! Homemade crème fresh isn’t too shabby either!
