Peach & Nectarine Pie

I recently watched a live stream of Anna Olson demonstrating making some pie dough, and a peach pie.  It looked very good so I thought I would give it a go.

The recipe is quite easy and is an interesting way to make the pie dough, using a stand mixer, though it could be done by hand or in a food processor. 

Of course the dough can be used for other things too, since it only has a very small amount of sugar, which is not for sweetness but more to aiding the structure of the dough and for ease in rolling out.  For the same reason some oil is used to coat the flour, so that the later addition of water wont make the dough the type that is stretch and shrinks back during baking.

Equally other fruits can be used, though it needs to be borne in mind that some would need to be thickened to avoid too much liquid which would cause the base of the pie not to cook through properly.

For me the flavour of peach and nectarines are ideal for a summer pie, so that is what I used.  I used frozen slices, which I thawed completely so that i could drain any excess liquid off before weighing the amount I needed.

The pastry was very easy to make and, once chilled, rolled out very well too. Then, once filled and topped with more pastry, the pie baked very well and tasted so good.

This is ideal served with some whipped cream, or with ice cream.

Ingredients:
For the pastry:

• 375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 12g(1 tbsp) caster sugar, or granulated
• 1 tsp salt
• 45ml (3 tbsp) flavourless oil
• 227g(1 cup) cool unsalted butter(very cold if using a food processor)
• 60ml(1/4 cup) cold water
• 2 tsp lemon juice(or vinegar)

For the filling:

• 750g(26 oz or about 6 cups) sliced peaches and nectarines, weight after being drained of any liquid
• 100g(1/2 cup) caster sugar or granulated
• 45ml(3 tbsp) double cream
• 2 tbsp rolled oats

Method:

1. Add the sugar and salt to the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix to combine.
2. Add the oil and mix on slow to incorporate, so that it coats the flour.  It will remain loose and floury.
3. Add the butter and mix on slow until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, with some larger pieces of butter still visible.
4. Add the water an lemon juice and mix again until the mixture clumps together.
5. Turn out onto a work surface and pull into a ball of dough.
6. Divide in two an wrap both pieces, shaped into discs, in plastic wrap.
7. Chill for at least an 2 hours, and until the filling is prepared and fully cooled.
8. Add the sugar and cream into a large pan and heat until bubbling, stirring all the while.
9. Add the peaches and nectarine slices,  and cook until the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally.
10. Place the fruit into a bowl and allow to cool completely.
11. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F.
12. Remove the dough from the fridge as the oven begins to preheat.
13. After about 10 minutes roll one piece of dough out, on a lightly floured surface, to about 6mm 1/4 inch thickness.
14. Place  a little flour into a 9 inch/23cm diameter pie dish.
15. Then place the rolled pastry in, ensuring that the entire base and sides are covered and there is even an overlap around the edge.
16. Sprinkle the rolled oats over the dough base, it is to absorb any liquid leaking from the fruit.
17. Spread the fruit filling into the pie dish and even out.
18. Roll the other piece of dough large enough to cover the top of the pie dish, if you want a full cover to the pie, or large enough to cut strips to make a lattice work top. If covering completely cut a hole in the centre to allow steam to escape.
19. Top the pie, as you wish, and press down the edges to join to the base.
20. Trim off any excess.
21. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190C/170C Fan/375F and bake for a further 40 minutes.
22. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.