I haven’t blogged about pie in a dog’s age, but I’ve still been slaving away in the background. I’ve been making a couple of pies a month and since they are all getting rave reviews, I feel pretty good about the pie-making experiment, so I don’t have as much progress to report. Also, I’ve decided that rather than trying a new recipe every time, I want to take six to eight recipes and really make them my specialties. So I’ve mostly been making the same sorts of pies over and over again, and I’ve been very happy, and very full. YUM.

I’ve made lots of Lemon Puff Pies and Strawberry Pies this season, as well as a few plain jane Apple Pies, like this one I made for boys’ poker last week:

Notice how the cute little cutouts mask the overall ugliness? I’m totally narrowing down that looks-good-AND-tastes-good nirvana point. The filling for this one, by the way, came from my good friend Edna Staebler, and is as follows: around 6 golden delicious apples; 3/4 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons flour; 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/8 teaspoon salt. Mix together and put in the pie crust, then pour 2 tablespoons milk or cream overtop and dot with 2-3 tablespoons (TABLESPOONS, my word) butter before putting the top crust on.

Highly recommended; everyone loves an apple pie.

On the weekend I made a Peach Cream Pie for the first time, for a BBQ at the Carl Sagans. It was unusual and really good and everyone loved it. Here’s how it looks:

See? With the cutouts? I’m a pie genius.

This one came from Company’s Coming Pies, and here’s the skinny (or really, the “fat,” HAR HAR HAR).

Pastry for a 2 crust pie

1 cup sour cream
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg, fork beaten (I used an egg replacer here, and also, Edna Staebler has a version of this recipe in which she says that if you use the 1/3 cup flour you don’t need an egg at all, so feel free to experiment with replacing or leaving this out)

2 1/2 cups peeled and sliced peaches (I used canned, because I am lazy and I hate peeling peaches – if you go canned you’ll need one 28 oz can of peach slices)

1/4 cup granulated sugar for sprinkling on top (just realized I totally forgot this step – oh well!)

And, action! Roll out your bottom crust and get it into the pie plate. If using canned peaches, drain them well and cut each slice in two or three thinner slices before putting the peaches in the bottom of the crust. If you’re using fresh peaches, you’re on your own, bub.

Mix the sour cream, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and egg/egg replacer (if using) in a bowl and stir it up. Pour over the peaches.

Roll out the top crust and lay it on top; pinch well to seal and cut some slits in the top. Then put on some cutouts if you are super fancy like me.

Oh, and sprinkle with the white sugar, if you are not a bird brain, like me.

Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and bake for around 40 minutes more. Then take to a BBQ and have everyone ooh and aah over it.

Julie asked me at BOLO if I was going to have a pie party sometime, and I must say, the thought of having people over for many, many kinds of pie sounds like just the most perfect way ever to celebrate turning 40. So hopefully it’ll happen. I just need to find time to plan it!