Inna’s Culinary Inventions

There are days when I just feel like baking a pie or a cake, for absolutely no reason. There are also days when I don’t feel like going grocery shopping. This week, those two types of days came on the same day and I decided to make a pie with what I had in my refrigerator: rhubarb from a crisp I made last week, and peaches that I got super-cheap at the grocery store.

I had always wanted to make a lattice top pie and was always a bit intimidated by them, but decided that since I had a lot of free time while Francis was at softball this week I should give it a shot. The top  didn’t look as neat as I would have liked it to, but it tasted pretty darn good! Especially after it set.

Peach-Rhubarb Pie

Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker and Annie’s Eats

For the crust:
Ingredients:
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into small chunks
.25 cup ice water, plus more if needed

In a food processor, mix flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining (10 seconds).

With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Process for up to 30 sec. Mix until not too crumbly.

Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

For the filling:

Ingredients
4-5 peaches
2 stalks rhubarb
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter
1 egg
1 tsp water

Transfer one dough round to a 9-inch pie dish. Unfold and ease the round into the pan, without stretching it, and pat it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim the edge of the dough. Set the dough-lined pan, along with the other dough round, in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

In a bowl, cut up the peaches and rhubarb. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the peaches and rhubarb. Toss and immediately transfer to the dough-lined pie plate. Dot with butter.

Using the reserved pie crust, cut long straight pieces and place in a checkered pattern over the top of the pie (to make a lattice top). For clearer instructions for this see this website

Place the pie in the freezer for 20-30 min. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brush the pie with the egg/water mixture and bake the pie until the crust is golden, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely to set, 1 to 2 hours.