Coconut/Pecan/Peach Pie--again???

Coconut/Pecan/Peach Pie--again??? This pie was so good that I needed to make another one before peach season ends here in Colorado. This time we ate a couple of pieces and I put the remaining pieces in individual freezer containers for peach pie cravings in the (probably not to distant) future. Oh summer is starting to wane, can you stand it? It has been so great this summer in the high country of Colorado--lots of wildflowers, great temperatures, plenty of rain and so far no wildfires. But it's time to start thinking apples!! This little town is the center of apple country in Colorado and the yearly Applefest is coming up in September. I have three old apple trees in my yard & the apples are starting to turn red so it won't be long. I'm searching for apple pie recipes and will have several up soon. Enjoy the last of summer.~Annie

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Coconut/Pecan/Peach Pie

The question was, can I possibly make yet another peach pie? How decadent, but those incredible fragrant Colorado peaches were just sitting there. I did freeze a bunch and make some jam but the idea of a fresh peach pie which is something you can make for only a few short weeks was just too compelling. So I started looking for something a little different and found a recipe for a Peach Pie with Coconut Almond Topping in the cookbook: Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie (Paperback).
I hadn't really thought of putting coconut on a peach pie but it sounded interesting. Taking a look at the recipe, I realized the only ingredient I didn't have was the almonds, but...I did have pecans, so I figured I would go for it. I made the bottom crust, the peach filling, had oven heating when I realized that I was supposed to food process the topping ingredients to a mealy texture. Hey, I don't have a stinking food processor up in the mountains! Too late to back up now so I just mixed the topping with a fork and went for it. End result--this is a fabulous pie! If you have peaches, you have to try it--make the original recipe or my variation, I think you will agree!


Peach Pie with Coconut Topping
-one single pie crust

Filling:

2 lbs peaches
1 & 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 nutmeg

Topping
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sliced pecans
1/2 cup sweentened flaked coconut
6 tablespoons butter cut in to small pieces
1 tablespoon milk

*I used a little more coconut and pecan pieces

1. make bottom crust, place in pan and chill until peaches are ready
2. combine peaches, lemon juice,lemon zest, 1/3 c. sugar in bowl and mix and let sit.
3. preheat oven 400 degrees
4. mix cornstarch with the 3 tablespoons sugar and sprinkle over peach mixture. Stir in vanila and nutmeg and turn peaches out into chilled pie crust and bak for 30 minutes.
5. make the topping by combining flour, sugar,salt, almonds (or pecans)and coconut in food processor and pulse. Scatter butter over mixture and pulse again until fine crumbs. add milk and process again until gravelly. (I DIDN'T DO THIS AND THE PIE WAS GREAT--I DIDN'T HAVE A FOOD PROCESSOR-SO WHAT). Refrigerate until ready to use.
6. remove pie from oven and reduce temp to 375 degrees. dump crumbs on top of pie and spread evenly pressing down just a bit to compact.
7. return pie to oven and bake until juices bubble all around edge (it just got slightly brown)
8. cool 1 hour before slicing
YUM!

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Peach Season is Here!

Peach season is in full swing here in western Colorado! The best peaches are up in Palisade, Colorado which is just outside of Grand Junction. My husband grew up here and remembers picking peaches with his friends from the miles of orchards around the little cafe that his Mom ran--"Clara's Coffee Cup". Clara would make peach pies and drive her pick-up to a highway intersection, set up a little table and umbrella and sell pies. I thought about her when I went up to buy peaches in Palisade. There are so many wonderful old orchards and farm stores up on the mesa but many are shifting to grape growing and the region has started producing some decent wines. I'm glad there's still plenty of peaches. Yesterday I made a basic peach cobbler and 12 jars of peach jam and I still have half a box of peaches to do something with--maybe ice cream??

Basic Peach Cobbler
one 9" pie

• 1 batch Mary Etta's Crust recipe-(make this after you get the peaches ready to go)
• 5 cups ripe peaches peeled & cut into 1/4" slices
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbs. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. vanilla (optional to taste)

1. Cut up peaches, mix with sugar, cornstarch & vanilla, let rest in bowl while you make the crust.
2. Turn oven to 400 degrees.
3. Make crust recipe. Roll out half of crust mixture to size of pie plate and place in pie plate. (I wrap up the second half in saran wrap and let it rest in fridge while I'm rolling out the bottom crust because I'm just not as swift at pie-making as Mary Etta!)
4. Pour peach mixture into pie plate--if you don't feel you have enough peaches in the pie just cut up one or two and add into at this point--it will do just fine.
5. Roll out second half of crust and cut into strips about an inch wide (whatever) and start laying them on the pie. It's easy to basket weave them so your cobbler looks really fancy. 6. Trim the edges to the plate and crimp edges to seal.
7. Sprinkle a little sugar on top and bake for 40-50 minutes--it should be browned with peach juice bubbling.
My husband and the painting crew were painting the house yesterday and they loved the cobbler break! ~Annie

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