Pie Crusteez and Fresh Peach Pie

I loved it when my mom would bake a pie when I was a kid.  With the leftover dough she'd cut it into odd little shapes, place it on a cookie sheet, sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar, and bake.  It turned into the tastiest little treat!  I loved Pie Crusteez!!!  I still love Pie Crusteez, and so do my children.  Sometimes I think they may even be the best part of pie making.  

Peaches are in season, and oh are they glorious!!  There is nothing like it.  I think they need to be eaten fresh when it's this time of year.  Now there is nothing wrong with a delicious double crusted peach pie, or even a peach crisp.  But when peaches are perfection, as they are now, they can only be made into FRESH Peach Pie.  My sister's friend, (and she's my friend too!) Makita is the domestic goddess that came up with this recipe.  It's perfection I think!  Light, tasty, and perfection!  So make a beautiful pie.  It's amazing how people want to be your friend when they see you walking down the street with two of these babies in hand:)  And of course you can weep the entire time you make these pies because they're your oldest sons favorite thing, and he just happens to be in ALBANIA now for the next 2 years.  But I'm so proud of him:)  Go make some pie!!


Makita's Fresh Peach Pie

1 9 inch pie crust baked

Glaze:

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
3 T. cornstarch
1 T. butter
2 c. pureed peaches
Bring all these together in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Boil till thickened, about 2 mins.
Cool completely.  Add:

a ton of fresh peaches sliced
1 t. lemon juice
1 t. almond extract (super secret ingredient that makes the entire pie.)

This much glaze actually made 4 pies for me.  I used it sparingly on the peaches.  You can use as much or as little as you want.  My peaches were pretty sweet on their own.  Pour the peach filling into the pie pan and serve immediately with fresh whipped cream.  (I like to put more almond extract into the cream too.)

My Favorite Pie Crust Recipe (For those beloved Pie Crusteez!)

3 c. flour

1 1/2 c shortening

1 T. sugar

1 t. salt 

1 egg

1/4-1/3 c. water

1 T. vinegar

3 T. cornstarch

Combine flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar.  Cut in shortening.  I actually like to use Manteca Lard  a lot of the times.  My sisters friend Makita gave us this tip a few years ago and it make delicious pie crust!  Mix egg, cold water, and vinegar.  Blend into flour mixture until it forms a ball.  Try to handle the dough as little as possible.  Makes 4 single pie crusts.  I always make the whole recipe.  If I have dough left over I just plop the dough ball into a Ziploc and put it into the freezer or turn it into pie crusteez.  All you have to do is thaw and roll when needed.  

For the Fresh Peach Pie you need to blind bake the crust.  That's just prebaking.  I usually roll out the crust and crimp the edges and then put another pie pan on top of the crust to bake.  That keeps the dough from slipping down the pie pan.  Bake at 375 for about 15-20 mins. or until browned.