Balsamic and Brown Sugar Peach Pie
In this post, I mention Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI. I received a free bottle as a contest participant where I submitted a different recipe. This post is not sponsored in any way.
I have favorite produce every season, from spring berries to winter citrus, but late summer definitely takes the cake in term of its absolute bounty. Juicy stone fruits are aplenty, so when I went peach picking with my mom one day in late August, I came home to New York with bags upon bags of delicious stone fruit. But these plump beauties don’t last forever, and are best used as soon as they’re ripe. I ate several just as they come, and got to work creating a peach pie recipe with the rest.
This pie has had 3 iterations, and this one hits all the marks I deemed necessary in a peach pie. First and foremost, I wanted the peaches to remain firm with the skin on—I like the texture of a fresh peach so much that I wanted it to be recognizable in the final pie. This differs from a traditional peach pie where the fruit would be skinned and chopped—these peaches maintain some bite. The filling is reliably thickened by cornstarch, even though I don’t macerate the peaches ahead of time to remove some of their juice. Just watch for bubbling in the filling to know that it’s reached the boiling point, indicating that the cornstarch is doing its job.
Flavor-wise, this pie is rich and complex thanks to the use of molasses-y brown sugar and sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar. I love the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI that I received a few months ago; two tablespoons is all I need here to deliver a punchy and delicious acidic depth. Use a good quality, fruity balsamic vinegar here (how Ina is that?).
For the crust, I tried several different favorite recipes, including this one by Stella Parks and this one by Erin McDowell. Ultimately I chose to go with a ratio-based crust that I love, utilizing my food processor for ease. Cooking based on ratios relies on having a kitchen scale and I encourage you to buy one if you don’t have one. Something that does grams and ounces please! It’s my most-used tool when baking and I prefer to do a lot of it by weight for accuracy. Pie dough can sometimes be a bit finicky, so weight is really useful when you want to nail it down. It’ll come in handy in so many recipes and you’ll never have to guess how much “about 1.5 lbs of peaches” is again.
Enjoy the beginning of fall and the last of the late summer harvest with this delicious Balsamic and Brown Sugar Peach Pie. Even though it’s our third one of the year, I know it won’t last very long, just like the season.
Balsamic and Brown Sugar Peach Pie Recipe
Serves 8
Ingredients
For the Crust:
12 oz all purpose flour (about 2 1/3 cups)
8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Up to 4 oz (by weight, about 1/2 cup) very cold water
1 egg (for egg wash)
For the filling:
1.5 lbs ripe but firm peaches (about 4 large peaches)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Method
To make the crust, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt, and cold butter cubes in a food processor until butter is distributed throughout the dry ingredients and mixture resembles coarse sand with a few larger pieces of butter visible. Alternatively, do the same by hand by cutting butter with a pastry cutter, using two butter knives in a criss cross pattern, or using your fingers to crumble the butter into the flour.
Very slowly incorporate the water in a steady stream while quickly pulsing the food processor or stirring, stopping as soon as the dough begins to come together. Press dough with your fingers; if still crumbly, pulse a few more times with a few more drips of water. Be careful not to overwork the dough or add too much water—it will get too sticky to work with and will bake up tough. When dough just comes together, dump onto a floured surface (being mindful of sharp blade) and pat together with your hands into a 1 inch thick rectangle. Slice the rectangle in half and stack the two halves on top of each other, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
In the meantime, begin the filling: wash and dry the peaches, halve and remove pits. Slice peaches into 1/4 inch thick slices, keeping in mind that it’s easier to arrange them into the pie crust if you keep the halves relatively in tact while slicing rather than separating out the pieces. This way, you can lay down a half and then spread it in the crust to arrange.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
When dough is chilled, roll out one half into a 1/8th inch thick sheet and place in a 9 inch pie pan. Trim excess to one inch of overhang and fold down edges around pie to create an even top. You can crimp this crust and omit the extra hearts if desired, saving the remaining portion of crust for another pie.
Fill the bottom crust with peaches in a concentric circle pattern (or however you like). The layers should overlap and peaches should be firmly tucked in together, as they will cook down.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, corn starch, and salt. Stir in balsamic vinegar, vanilla, and almond extracts to make a thick paste. Spread the paste over the top of the peaches as evenly as possible, keeping in mind it will distribute further as the peaches release their juice.
Roll out remaining pie dough to 1/8th inch thick and make several small cut outs of your choice such as hearts, circles, or leaves. If you end up with extra dough, save it for decorations for your next pie!
Beat egg in a small bowl and brush the back of each piece of dough with a small amount before applying to the edge of the bottom crust, pressing down gently to adhere. Be careful not to apply too much egg wash as it will cause the crust to burn before the pie is finished. Optional but recommended: Place pie in the fridge while the oven continues to preheat, about 20 minutes.
Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake, rotating halfway through, until crust is deeply golden and filling is bubbling all around, 45-55 minutes. If the crust is darkening too quickly, use a crust saver or create a ring out of aluminum foil to protect edges from burning.
Remove pie from oven and cool on a rack for at least an hour before serving.
Keeps at room temperature for one day or refrigerated for up to 3 days.
