The harvesting of produce is peaking, so we decided to take a ride out east of town to shop the farms. At DiSanti’s, the bounty was so artfully displayed, my sense took its leave and was replaced with the desire to
buy lots of food in bulk and do something great with it. By the time we wound our way to the checkout, my enthusiasm was waning for the job I
was committing to and instead of leaving with a grocery cart of produce, we purchased a bushel of peaches.
Driving home, I was regaling my husband with visions of the peach pies I was about to make and freeze, when I made a last second decision to exit the highway for a detour onto a pastoral, two-lane country road. As I steered the car down the ramp and onto the road, I remarked at the beauty that is just outside our town. And as those words left my lips, I saw red lights whirling in the mirror.
Was there a reason, the officer inquired, why I was speeding at 50 miles an hour in a 40 mph zone? “M-m-m-m,” I considered, “because I was coming off the ramp, chatting at my husband about the beauty that is nature and going down a hill?
Tho’ agreeable to my notation that the country is indeed beautiful, and a bit sad that he was about to issue my first-ever driving ticket, he nonetheless wrote me up. At 10 miles over the speed limit, that quarter mile was going to be costly.
What to say but thank you – I was brought up to be polite, even in the most difficult of circumstance.
With the peaches a day from turning, I spent the afternoon processing the bushel.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3: I’m always surprised when boiling and a quick cool make peeling a breeze.
A slicing incident leads to a napkin wrapped with scotch tape, and my concluding that the sign of a house without children is a house without a band aid box.
Step 4: Six cups of sliced peaches sprinkled with almond extract, several pats of melted butter, quarter cup flour (which I was low on, so I substituted potato starch) and a tablespoon of citrus acid powder
Step 5: Toasted almonds chopped into smallish bits
Step 6: Almonds sprinkled onto the bottom layer and topped with sliced peaches mixture.
Cover with second crust, free forming the crusts’ edges to meet & crimp. Brush milk over the top crust & sprinkle with sugar; set pan on foil to catch the dripping in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes; then 325 degrees for half an hour.
Step 7: Serve warmed with a dollop of whipped cream.
My pie pan is an oldie and sliced up, without an eye to leftovers, pie for 10. Given the cost of the peaches ($32.00) + the speeding ticket ($169.50), this was a $20.00 piece of pie, which I savored to the point of licking the plate clean. That detour was costly, but the smiles from our friends who joined us for dessert…worth it.
xxea