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Shortly after moving into my 1892 farm house 10 years ago, I planted a Redhaven peach tree in the yard. It’s been a productive tree right from the get-go, sprawling languidly across my fence and driveway, branches weighed low with large, succulent fruit. It’s always been well worth the real estate in my packed garden, but there’s just one problem: Every other creature in the neighborhood is also a fan.
One year, half the fruit was picked by squirrels, who’d take a single, rude bite and then leave the fruit on the fence (while laughing and raising a tiny middle finger, probably). Of the fruit I do harvest myself, the majority has split pits — a defect caused by fruit enlarging too quickly, which tends to happen more in climates with mild, wet springs like we have in western Oregon. It’s mainly an aesthetic problem, but split pits also act as an open door to earwigs, ants and every other invertebrate in the Roald Dahl cinematic universe to take up residence, turning the tender kernel within to crumbly frass.
Summer fruit is supposed to be a total sensory experience, but I prefer mine without the jump-scare of a pinchy insect slithering out. When you harvest your own food, you just have to get used to ignoring uninvited guests. Luckily, the flesh isn’t affected by split pits, and if you’re not too squeamish you can just cut away the nibble marks left by squirrels and birds.
To choose perfect peaches at the market, let your nose be your first guide. Select fragrant specimens that feel heavy for their size and yield to gentle pressure, though firmer fruits can be ripened in a paper bag at room temperature for a couple days (they never taste as good as a peach that was ripe before it was picked, but such is life). You can store ripe ones in the fridge to extend their shelf life for a couple weeks, but more importantly, to experience the sheer, sybaritic pleasure of eating a cold, juicy peach on a hot day. (Feel free to save this recipe for when it’s cooler out — skinned, sliced peaches also freeze beautifully.) Makes 12 hand pies
Note: When fully ripe, some peach varieties (like Redhaven) have skin that slips right off, but to remove the skin from other varieties (or peaches that aren’t fully ripe), score a shallow X in the bottom of the peach with a paring knife, dunk them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then transfer them directly to an ice water bath. The skins should cooperate in sliding away from the flesh.
Ingredients
Filling
1 large peach, skinned, pitted and diced (about 12 ounces; should yield around 2 cups)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Pastry
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch dice
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk (or sour cream + milk whisked until smooth)
A few drops vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the filling ingredients to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the peaches are jammy and the liquid has cooked down to a thick syrup, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature before refrigerating until cold, about 2 hours.
- While the peach mixture is cooling, make the pastry. In a food processor or using a pastry cutter (or forks), stir together the flour, sugar and salt, then add the cubed butter and pulse a few times (or cut the butter into the flour) until the mixture takes a rough, sandy texture. Add the ice water and pulse a few more times (or stir) until the mixture looks crumbly — it will still look quite dry, but should mush together into a shaggy dough.
- Pour the pastry mixture onto your work surface, scrape it into a pile and firmly smush it into a ball. Cut the ball in half, smush each half into an inch-thick disk, and wrap each tightly in kitchen wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly dust your work surface and a rolling pin with flour, then roll out the first disk of dough to about ⅛-inch thick. Use a 4-inch biscuit cutter or a small saucer and a paring knife to cut out 6 rounds, then gather up the scraps into a ball, roll it out and cut out two more rounds. Transfer the rounds to the parchment paper and repeat with the other disk of dough. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Working one at a time, brush the edge of each round with the beaten egg, then spoon 1 tablespoon of the peach filling into the center and carefully fold the round in half, pressing the two edges together with your fingers. (Do not be tempted to add more filling! It just doesn’t fit.) Use a fork to crimp the edges closed, then transfer to the parchment. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds (you’ll probably have a little bit of filling left; refrigerate this and use it like you would any other fruit jam).
- Cut two small slits into the top of each pie with the tip of a paring knife so the steam can escape during baking. Bake until puffed and golden brown, swapping the pans between the two oven racks and rotating halfway through baking to ensure even cooking, about 15-20 minutes.
- While the pies are baking, whisk the icing ingredients together until smooth (it should be the consistency of Elmer’s glue).
- When the pies are done, transfer them to cooling racks set over the baking sheets, then brush with the icing. Let the pies cool and the icing set before serving.