Pie made from Scratch

I MADE A PIE FROM SCRATCH. Seriously, everything was from scratch! I can finally cross that off my bucket list. (Getting into Club 33 is next.)

Making pie is like reupholstering your couch: the end product is amazing, but the process was not worth the effort.

Or maybe it IS worth the effort, I just happened to have a tiring experience.

Here's why:

First, it took almost all morning and afternoon to make. Why did it take so long? Keep reading...

Second, when it came time to pour the ice cold water a few tablespoons at a time, I enlisted William's help. Being the jokester he is, he thought it would be funny to pour what he thought was a cup of SOLID ground beef grease that I had strained cooking dinner the night before. It wasn't solid. That nasty beef grease poured right into my beautiful, buttery, delicious pie crust dough. I had to start all over. (Don't worry about William... I wasn't angry. Instead, I laughed until I cried and then laughed some more for a solid 15 minutes after the fact... and then he bought me this shirt because I think he felt bad.)

Third, did you know that you need almost 16 peaches for ONE pie? I started with 7 and soon realized it wasn't going to be enough. (I had to run to Walmart, which I hate doing in this heat.) Thanks Paula Deen for the heads up. I will no longer make fun of your 'Ham in the Face' incident.

Here's the recipe:

Crust (via Martha Stewart)

1. In a food processor, pulse 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour with 1 teaspoon each salt and sugar. Add 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. (I don't have a food processor so I just used a hand mixer very carefully)

2. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces remaining.

3. Add 1/4 cup ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. (If needed, add up to 4 tablespoons more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Do not overmix.

4. Turn out onto a work surface; knead once or twice, until dough comes together. Chill.

Filling (via Paula Deen)

7 cups fresh peaches, peeled and thickly sliced (can substitute frozen slices) (About 16 peaches.)
½ lemon, juiced
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (I used cinnamon)
5 tablespoons butter, divided

1. Pre heat oven to 425º F.

2. In a large sauce pan, add peaches, lemon juice, sugar and flour and stir until coated. Bring fruit mixture to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and cook until fruit is just slightly tender.

3.Remove pan from heat. Stir in almond extract, nutmeg (cinnamon) and three tablespoons butter. Allow to cool slightly.

4. Remove pie pan from refrigerator and fill with the cooled mixture. Dot the top of the fruit with the pieces of the remaining two tablespoons butter. Roll out the second crust and decorate the top of the pie with a lattice top or any special way you like.(Decorating the top was my favorite part)

5. In a small bowl, melt butter and brush onto top of pie crust. (I also sprinkled sugar too)

6. Bake for 10 minutes then lower heat to 350º for an additional 40 minutes or until the top is golden and the fruit is bubbly.

Isn't it pretty?!

Anyway, it turned out very delicious. There's just a few things I would change:

1. Don't cut the peaches so small. (I like a chunkier filling)

2. Don't worry about handling the dough too much. (I was really nervous to)

3. Enlist William's help. (So I can get more clothes)