The pastry is a recipe of Nigel Slater’s – he calls it Shortcake pastry and it certainly is. It’s more of a batter than a dough and is as delicious as the filling.
I didn’t want a run of the mill pastry because early peaches can be a bit tart and I don’t really care for unsweetened pastry with fruit. Equally, I didn’t want to go the whole hog and make the shortbread pastry – too much of a treat and flavoured in its own right. So this pastry is the perfect compromise. A slight crumbly quality to the edges and a melt in the mouth joy to the middle.

Peaches, well the scent of peaches is the most evocative of Summer smells. Impulse buys used to be handbag and shoe related, now they consist of punnets of peaches. My, how this woman has changed.

Cream together 150g unsalted butter and 150g caster sugar until light and fluffy *wink*

Add one beaten egg and beat that in too.

Next, add 250g plain (all purpose) flour and 1 tsp baking powder and combine that in.

Turn out on to a floured surface and very lightly knead and squish it to make it smooth

Halve the dough

and roll one half out between two pieces of baking parchment. Don’t even think about rolling it out straight on to the surface – it’s way too soft for that.

Use the rolled out piece to line your 9″ pie tin, then wrap the other half in parchment and stick both that and the lined tin into the fridge for around 30 mins.

To the peaches. They seduced me shamelessly.

I used a punnet of 12 peaches that weighed around 1kg. I also threw in a couple of wizzened ones from the fruit bowl.

Remove the skins; some pulled off easily, but the firmer peaches were resistant so I cut a cross in the stem end and blanched them in a bowl of boiling water for around 40 seconds. The skins came away easily then.

Slice them up into a bowl.

Put 50g unsalted butter into a large frying pan on a medium heat, then place the peach slices into it and add a tablespoon or two or sugar.

You don’t want to cook the life out of them, but just cook them down a little.

Remove the peaches to a sieve over a bowl and collect the juices. Return the juice to the frying pan and simmer enthusiastically until they go syrupy.

Retrieve your lined tin and reserved half of dough from the fridge and place the peach slices into it

and drizzle the reduced juice over them.

Roll the second half of the dough out between your parchment until it is large enough to cover the top of the pie.

Pinch or flute the edges together – patch any pieces where necessary, it’s an easily damaged dough, but utterly forgiving when it’s in the oven so fret not.

Brush lightly with milk (I forgot) and sprinkle with some sugar.

Bake at GM4 for around 40 mins (it might take as long as 55 mins)

Mmm, golden with that fantastic crumbly look to the edge of the pastry. Go a shade darker than mine if you dare, because the bottom was a little less cooked than I would have liked.

Now, I have zero problem with adding cream, custard or ice cream to a slice of pie, but believe me when I say you don’t need to with this pie. I’m not saying you shouldn’t, just that you don’t have to.

Quite simply, it stands very nicely on its own two feet.

As the boy in the local Co-op says, ‘Enjoy’. (Dude, I just bought toilet paper and a pack of bacon..really? Enjoy?)

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Peach Pie Perfect

adapted from a recipe in Nigel Slater’s ‘the kitchen diaries’

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150g unsalted butter
150g caster sugar
1 egg
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
milk and caster sugar to glaze the pie

1kg peaches, skins and stones removed, sliced
50g unsalted butter
1-2 tblsp sugar

9″ pie tin (that is, 24cm across the top and 18cm at the base), lightly buttered.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and light.
Add the egg and beat to combine.
Add the flour and baking powder, combine.
Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and lightly knead until smooth.

Cut the pastry in half.
Roll one half out between sheets of parchment paper and use it to line the tin.
Wrap the remaining half in paper and put in the fridge along with the lined tin for around 30 mins.

Heat oven to GM4/180C/350F

Skin and stone the peaches, then slice the flesh into a bowl.
Heat the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the peaches and 1 tblsp sugar. Taste and increase the sugar as necessary.

Cook the peaches down a little – turn them to encourage the sugar to melt – for just a few minutes.
Remove the peach slices to a sieve over a bowl, then return the juices to the frying pan.

Simmer the juices at a lively rate to reduce them down to a lovely syrup – only takes a minute or two.

Remove the lined tin and reserved pastry from the fridge.
Place the peach slices into the pastry-lined tin and drizzle the syrupy juices over them.

Roll out the remaining half of pastry between two pieces of parchment and cover the top of the pie.
Pinch, flute or crimp the two edges of pastry together – patching if you need too.
It’s not the kindest pastry to handle at this point – it’s prone to tearing – but it sorts itself out in the oven, so don’t get cross with it.

Gingerly brush it with milk (I usually do it with my fingertips) and scatter with a little sugar.
Bake for around 40 mins. If you’re happy for it to go a little darker than golden, give it some extra time – the peaches, although half cooked, are still juicy and the extra time will insure you against a soggy base. Having said that, it is a silky pastry so you don’t get that nasty uncooked dough taste anyway.

Let it sit for a few minutes to catch its breath before serving. Hot, warm or cold, it’s a winner.