Summer is a very hard time of year for me. You see I’m an addict. In fact I’m a relentlessly unreformed addict. There’s no 12 step program powerful enough to ultimately stop me from my obsession. In that regard I’m hopeless. In my defense however, I will say that I’m an addict with boundaries. An addict with with plenty of self-control– most of the year. That’s because I’m a peach addict.
January, February, March, April, May, and even June. My addiction is under control. I can go all that time without even thinking about peaches. Sometimes I see them at “off” times winking in my direction. But they lack the proper pheromones and I don’t even bother to pick them up and squeeze them. Why should I? February peaches are easy to resist.
I’m not saying I haven’t had a few illicit dreams in the dreary months of winter. Every addict has these dark secrets. But these thoughts are held deep in my subconcious and rarely keep me from preforming my day to day duties.
Peach Addict
I admit I have a problem. But it’s a problem I can deal with. I can even keep my affliction under control in July. Well most of July. Come August though and I know that the binging will start. I’m powerless to control it.
Once August begins to wane my identity as a peach addict gets serious. My usual sources start to dry up. I find myself driving to Farmers Markets further and further from my home. By September it just gets worse. I’m often caught with a plastic grocery bag standing over the sink, mealy peach in hand– totally jonesing for the juice to come dripping off my chin. By October that drip has completely dried up. I make up stories to tell my friends and family. “Oh” I’ll say, “I have a cousin (a cousin I’ve never mentioned before). She’s going to be at Windrose Farms up near Paso Robles for a couple of hours today. She’s killing time between flights on a crop duster (it takes longer but it’s cheaper to fly that way). Since she came all this way (sitting in bug spray) I just gotta drive up and see her. Don’t ya think?”
My friends and family acquiesce every time. Does this make them enablers?
Hello. My name is GREG and I’m a peach addict.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (divided plus more for dusting)
- 4 tablespoon granulated sugar (divided)
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more as needed)
- 12 tablespoon cold unsalted butter (cut into pieces, divided)
- 1 large egg yolk (lightly beaten)
- 1 tablespoon ice water (plus more as needed)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 ripe yellow peaches (halved and pitted)
- 6 tablespoon sour cream (divided)
Directions
Make the crust: Pulse 1 ¼ cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a food processor to combine. Add 8 tablespoons butter chunks (about 4 ounces by weight); process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Add egg yolk, and pulse. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube until dough remains crumbly but begins to just hold together. Turn out dough onto a work surface; shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to 2 days).
Make the brown sugar topping: Using a fork mix the brown sugar, remaining 3 tablespoons flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until well incorporated and more powdery than clumpy. Using your hands or a pastry blender, cut in remaining 4 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Roll the dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9 ½- or 10-inch pie plate (about 1 ½ inches deep). Trim edge to 1 inch; fold under, and crimp or decorate as desired. Pierce bottom of dough all over with a fork. Transfer to freezer for 30 minutes. This dough can be sticky, sometimes it’s easier to roll it between to floured sheets of parchment.
Blind bake the crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line crust with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Make sure the rim is covered completely with parchment or make a foil collar to be safe; bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove weights and parchment. Return to oven and bake until barely pale golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool; reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
Make the filling: Slice each of four peach halves into 3 equal wedges. Cut the remaining 2 peach halves into ½‑inch dice. Put the peach wedges and dice together into a medium bowl, and sprinkle with granulated sugar and a pinch of salt; gently toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.
Meanwhile spread half the sour cream onto bottom of the cooled crust; sprinkle one-third of the brown sugar topping on top of the sour cream. Arrange the peach wedges in a tight circular pattern, squeezing or slightly overlapping them to fit snugly if necessary. Spread the remaining diced peaches and all the accumulated liquid evenly over the peach wedges; spread or dot the top with the remaining 3 tablespoons sour cream. Sprinkle with remaining brown sugar topping.
Cover just the exposed edge of crust with a ring of foil to keep the crust from getting too brown. Bake pie until filling is bubbling and topping is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
mmm yummy sour cream peach pie
This is literally my favorite pie now! We made it with the last of the nircal peaches & smitten kitchens crust <3
Hi — i love this recipe and want to try my hand at it. the oven temps are in F or C (fan forced/gas). Please lemme know. thanks.
I used farenheit non-convection. GREG
I’m a peach freak too!
My mom always made Mrs. Spiegelberger’s peach pie for us (that’s the name of the lady who had the huge peach tree farm/grove we went picking in every summer). It too has sour cream in it.
Craig LOVE’S that pie! My mom gets him to visit them every time he goes to Cleveland by making that pie for him. She wouldn’t even give me the recipe for it until we got married. UGH! But I love that pie…and I’m pretty sure I’d love yours too. 🙂 Hi, my name is Pamela…and I’m a peach addict.
Haha… love this post… and the pie. It’ll be a few more weeks before we get peaches from WA. When the vendors have them at the Farmers Market, you can smell them 5–6 booths away! I’m going to try to remember to make this pie.
Sour cream peach pie?! Perfection!
You are hilarious! Great pie Greg!
Um yeah… I’m in the peach club, too! And this pie looks so good it hurts!
Greg knew that he had hit rock bottom when he awoke in an orchard, trying to mainline peach sap directly into his veins. Fortunately Dr Drew got him on a step down program of lesser addictive stone fruits.
I’m so curious about this pie with the sour cream. Only one way to find out, and then maybe I’ll be like “this is angela; I’m a peach addict.” I hate to tell you I get my peaches free with a hookup of a farm close by.
I’m right there with you. Peaches are so good…and yet their season is painfully short. I have a hard time letting go! Thank you for sharing your addiction and this lovely pie. Wish I had a slice now!
Saw this on foodgawker and immediately had to check it out. I make a sour cream apple pie that might just be my favourite pie ever. But with peaches! Yes! It would be amazing!
Peach love! Oh, the miles we will travel for a luscious, ripe peach ~Bijouxs
If you’re going to have an addiction, peach is the way to go!
I’m so glad you’re an addict because this allows you to share peach recipes with us! This pie is gorgeous, unique, and classic all at once. Lovely!
I ate a mealy peach yesterday, napkin under chin in expectation of drippage, and my napkin stayed dry. I almost cried. This pie looks outstanding!
I totally understand your problem. I’m the same way with cherries. And I’ll pay ANYTHING (even…10 bucks a pound) to get them into my life once they’re in season! Peaches are less of a “problem” but still pretty tempting. Especially in pie form!
I share your pain. I too am a peach addict. As a matter of fact, I actually asked the vendor this year when the Lady peaches were coming. He asked his boss who grabbed his list of different peach varieties and told me not til July. Since then I’ve been indulging daily in every kind of Lady peach I can get my hands (lips) on. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
PErfect Pie with different flavors and textures. Love it.
I like how you divide and layer the sour cream, sugar and peaches; something I’ve never thought to try. Your finished pie looks great!