cherry pie & peach pie

These two were winners at the Portola Valley Town Picnic. Colin (left) made cherry and Derek (right, both age 13) made peach. They used fruit that came from the town’s produce stand, carved the town’s initials in the crust, and became the talk of the town! You can’t get more local than that. I’m giving you both recipes in one because the technique for the filling is so similar. If making both pies, be sure you prepare TWO batches of double-crust pastry (or buy prepared pastry dough) because each pie has a bottom and top crust.

ingredients

pastry for a double-crust pie (2 batches if making both pies)

cherry pie
2-1/2 pounds sweet cherries
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
pinch cinnamon or allspice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

peach pie
3 pounds firm-ripe yellow peaches
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 egg, lightly beaten

directions

Prepare pastry and refrigerate. If you are making both pies, do two batches of double-crust pastry. Preheat an oven to 375°.

To make cherry pie, pit cherries with a cherry pitter (remember to do this in a big bowl in the sink or you’ll be splattered with cherry juice). In a large bowl, stir together pitted cherries, cornstarch, sugar, pinch cinnamon or allspice, lemon juice, and almond extract. Be sure to stir until every trace of cornstarch has dissolved.

To make peach pie, bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop in peaches (do in batches if pot is not large enough) and boil for about 30 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon. When cool enough to handle, slip off skins. Cut peaches into 1/2-inch-thick slices. In a large bowl, stir together peaches, cornstarch, white sugar, brown sugar, pinch salt, and almond extract. Be sure to stir until every trace of cornstarch has dissolved.

Remove pastry from refrigerator and cut in half; rewrap one half with plastic or waxed paper and put back in the fridge. On a lightly floured board, roll the other half into an 11-inch circle. Wrap the pastry around the rolling pin, then unroll it over a 9-inch glass pie pan; snuggle pastry into pan. Pour filling of choice into the pastry, being sure to scrape every last bit of sugary juice from the bowl into the fruit. Trim pastry so it is flush with the rim of the pan.

Remove the other pastry from fridge and roll into an 11-inch circle. With a fluted pastry wheel or a knife, cut into 1-inch wide strips. Arrange strips over pie in a lattice pattern. Or, leave the pastry whole (make decorative cutouts to release steam) and place on top of the pie. Either way, trim the top pastry or lattice strips even with the lower pastry then pinch the edges together to seal. Lightly brush the top with the beaten egg.

Bake until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbly, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on a rack. The pies taste great the next day, too.