So here I am, sitting in Starbucks, high on caffeine super pumped to be writing!!!
First of all I would like tpo start with a little Preface as to why I am naming this pie by this name.
Last week was the first week back to school and everybody who is a partof UB's THD department knows that the first week is a huge week for auditions and crazy departmental nonsense and lack of sleep.
For auditions I sang "La Vie en Rose" by Edith Piaf. Here's a little clip to brighten your day.
After that I got a callback, which was a process in itself-- Callbacks for "The ThreePenny Opera" went until quarter to midnight and by that point I was thoroughly exhausted.
But it was well worth it-- Hello World, meet your new Polly Peachum!
That's right-- I will be gracing UB's Drama Theater stage as Polly Peachum in "The Threepenny Opera" directed by Vincent O'Neill from November 14-18th. Buy your tickets here.
:)
Peach season is also on its last legs and every day I go into Wegmans I pass that lovely produce section with those ripe peaches just begging me to bite in. So I was inspired. And I bought 10 dollars worth of peaches. And ate most of them. And with the remaining eight peaches, I made the most delicious heart-singing pie I've ever tasted.
Just thinking about it is making me want to run home and have another piece right now.
Not to mention all this Starbucks energy is making me restless enough to run 7 miles...
So this being a health blog, and ...you know... pie not necessarily sounding like a health food... here's some nutritional fun facts about peaches!
Peaches are best for you raw--as most fruits and veggies are-- but they aren't bad when baked, too!
Health benefits of Peaches
(http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/peaches.html)
-
Wonderfully delicious
peaches are low in calories (100 g just provide 39 calories) and
contain no saturated fats. Nonetheless, they are packed with
numerous health promoting compounds, minerals and vitamins.
-
The total measured
anti-oxidant strength (ORAC
value) of 100 g peach fruit is 1814 TE (Trolex
equivalents).
-
Fresh
peaches are a very good source of antioxidant vitamin C. Vitamin-C has
anti-oxidant effects and is required for connective tissue synthesis in
the body. Consumption of
foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against
infectious agents and help scavenge harmful free radicals.
-
Fresh peaches are also moderate
source of vitamin A
and ß-carotene.
ß-carotene is a pro-vitamin, which converts into vitamin A in the
body. Vitamin A is essential for
vision. It is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and
skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in vitamin A is known to offer
protection
from lung and oral cavity cancers.
-
They are rich in many vital
minerals such as potassium, fluoride and iron.
Iron is required for red blood cell formation. Fluoride is a component
of bones and teeth and is important for prevention of dental caries.
Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that help
regulate heart rate and blood pressure.
-
Peaches contain many health
promoting flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein,
zeaxanthin and ß-cryptoxanthin.
These compounds help act as protective
scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen
species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease process.
And the moment we have all been waiting for...here it is!!!
If you are a peach lover, or a pie lover... or if you want to make a pie that will make anything living fall in love with you... MAKE THIS PIE! It's also Vegan :)
To.Die.For.
Sorry. Crazy.
Polly Peachum's Perfect Peach Pie
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup Arrowhead Mills Organic Pastry Flour
1 cup Earth Balance (Butter alternative, Vegan!)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
A Few Tbsp ice water
Filling (THE GOOD STUFF):
3/4 cup Woodstock Organic Pure Cane Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Arrowhead Mills Organic Pastry Flour
A few Hearty Dashes Ground Cinnamon
One Hearty Dash Allspice
8 medium RIPE peaches
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Start with the Crust:
Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Use a whisk to get out any chunks and mix until it looks fluffy. In Tablespoonfuls, begin to mash in the Earth Balance (or Butter/alternative). the mix hould begin to look not so fluffy and more like little gravel pieces. when pinched, it should stick together a little bit but with little effort fall apart again.
Tablespoonfuls at a time, begin to add water. I only ended up using two and that was enough. Especially if the air is moist. mash in the water to the mixture and begin kneading the dough. As soon as it sticks together, stop adding water. If you add too much, the dough gets playdough'y and won't roll or taste right.
Roll dough into a ball and cut in half. You may refrigerate them for an hour (a lot of websites recommend this but I never find it necessary).
Prepare a large flat surface by sanitizing. Then sprinkle a little flour on the surface to prevent stickage for the next step. Also put a little flour on your hands and rolling pin.
Take the first ball and roll it with the floured rolling pin into a large circle (like a pancake) on the flat, floured surface.
Gently lift and place into a pie plate. Use your fingers to press the dough into the creases in the plate. Add little pieces of dough from the other ball if necessary to fill in any holes or to cover the sides of the plate that didn't quite make it.
Set aside. (At this point is when I put the pie plate in the fridge.)
For the filling:
Begin with the peaches. Rinse and gently scrub each peach under water with your fingers. a little pressure helps remove the skins.
It is important to use ripe peaches for a few reasons. Firstly, they are the sweetest when they are ripe. And secondly, if you do it right, you won't even need a knife to peel the skins.
Cut the peach around the center, starting at the top where the stem is, following it's natural crease to the bottom, and arriving back at the top. Hold the peach on each hemisphere you have just created and simply twist around the pit. The peach should easily fall into two halves. Remove the pit.
Next, peel away the skin, starting at the top where the stem was and firmly but gently peel away the skin. If you are lucky it will all come off at once.
Do this to each peach.
Once that is finished, you should have 16 hemispheres. Slice the peaches into about 1/4 in slivers and put into a mixing bowl. Add Lemon Juice. Set aside.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together.
Fold in the peaches and get ready for delicious...
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Pour peach filling medley into the pie plate with dough that was set aside earlier. Spread the peaches around and totally fill the plate.
Remember that second ball of dough?
Roll into an oval slightly longer that the diameter of your pie plate.
Cut strips about an inch wide (Or however thick you want) for a lattice covering.
Lay a few strips down over the pie. Weave strips in, perpendicular to the other strips, over under.
Press the corners of each strip into the sides of the crust already in the plate.
Take a picture because you just worked really hard.
Place the pie plate onto a baking tray-- once it goes in the oven there are no guarantees that it won't overflow! It's much easier to clean a baking tray than the bottom an oven.
Bake for about 30 minutes until crust begins to gold around the edges.
LET COOL AND NOM!
:)
