We do our best to eat that bounty before it gets too ripe, but oftentimes, I still find myself wondering how to use it all. Kidding! I'm making pie every time. Fruit pies put smiles on people's faces and sunshine in their souls. Duh.
And, since today is the last Friday of the month, that means it's time to celebrate Friday PieDay here at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but I neglected to share a pie with you last month; don't even get me going on May again (aka hell month). I think this blueberry-peach pie will make up for that.
So obviously there's fresh blueberries and peaches in a very simple filling that also contains sugar, cornstarch for thickening, and a burst of brightness from fresh lime zest and juice. But, this pie goes beyond the filling to a brilliant crust with little hints of crunch from the addition of cornmeal (which would also make the perfect base for tomato pie), which is echoed in the streusel piled on top of the filling, as well.
The moral of this story is: next time you hit the farmers market or u-pick fields—buy all the fruit and berries you can get your hands on. Eat to your heart's content...and make at least one pie.
And hey, what's better than one pie? Two pies, of course. I'm excited to have my friend Stacy of Food Lust People Love joining me for #FridayPieDay again this month with a beautiful Fresh Peach Pie! While both of our pies have peaches in them, they are different enough that you could make both for one get-together, and nobody would bat an eye. PIE!
Blueberry Peach Pie w/ Cornmeal Streusel and a Cornmeal Crust
This pie recipe contains fresh, ripe summer peaches and blueberries that are accented with a pleasant crunch from a cornmeal crust and streusel.
by
Prep Time: 90 minutes (largely unattended)
Cook Time: 75 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert nut-free soy-free vegetarian blueberries peaches cornmeal pie American summer
Ingredients (serves 8-10)
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 1/4" pieces
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" pieces
- 1/4 cup cold buttermilk
- 3 cups fresh blueberries
- 3 cups peeled, pitted, and sliced fresh peaches (approx. 6 small peaches)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- finely grated zest of 1 lime
- big pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" pieces
Instructions
making the pie crust:
Put the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the shortening and butter pieces over the top of the dry mixture, then pulse 6 times. Drizzle half of the buttermilk over the flour mixture and pulse 5 times; drizzle with remaining buttermilk and pulse a couple more times until the dough forms clumps.
Dump the dough out of the food processor and gather it up into a ball; knead once or twice, then flatten te ball into a 3/4" thick disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight before rolling out (or slide wrapped dough into a freezer-safe baggie and freeze for up to 1 month).
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 13-inch circle using a floured rolling pin. Invert the dough over a 9.5-inch deep-dish pie pan. Set the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet large enough to fit the pie pan on with foil.
In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, peaches, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the lime zest and juice, and the pinch of salt. Mix well, then let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, then stir them into the fruit mixture.
Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell, smoothing the top gently. Place the pie on the prepared baking sheet and set on the center oven rack; bake for 30 minutes.
Combine the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt in a food processor and pulse several times to mix. Scatter the butter over the top and pulse again until you have fine crumbs. Turn out into a bowl, then pick up and rub between your fingers a few times until the crumbs are larger. Refrigerate until ready to use (can be made in advance).
Carefully remove the pie from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375° F. Scatter the crumb mixture over the pie, the press down lightly. If the outer crust seems to be getting too dark, cover it with a pie crust shield or a foil shield (check again later if it isn't now).
Place the pie back in the oven, so that the side that was previously facing the back of the oven is now facing the front of the oven. Continue baking until the juices are thick and bubbly around the edges, another 40-45 minutes.
Set the pie plate on a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 2 hours before serving.
You can successfully double this pie crust recipe to make a double cornmeal pie crust. If making a double pie crust, make one ball slightly larger than the other; the larger one will form the bottom crust.
-a mash-up and adaptation of three recipes in Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie by Ken Haedrich
Join me on the last Friday of each month for pie and crust recipes, techniques, tools of the trade, and other inspiration. For more information and recipes, please check out my #FRIDAYPIEDAY page!
