Sour Cream Peach Pie
Food with a story is always best. My pal Annette passed me this recipe that was passed to her by her mother-in-law, Inez Orvedal Kisser, of Fargo, North Dakota. Inez was born in 1905 and died at age 93. She was the youngest of 11 children and spent most of her life on a farm. Along with many other duties, crafts and skills, she found her niche at age nine as the official pie baker for the family. Annette told me that during late summer every year, this was one of the desserts Inez served the threshing crew, which comprised 35 to 40 men and boys who traveled from farm to farm completing the harvest. Peaches were in season at this time of year, and since there was no refrigeration, the cream was always sour. This recipe typifies the way things were back then, which was to make do with what was on hand and to allow nothing to be wasted. There is no top crust to this pie, so it’s a very simple, quick, old-fashioned pie. I think it’s a taste of a life that’s passed on but still makes sense.
Sour Cream Peach Pie
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups plus 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1/4 cup ice water
- 2 to 3 ripe peaches (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 6 wedges each
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/4 cups crème fraïche
Instructions
In a food processor, pulse 1 1/4 cups flour with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with some pea-size pieces of butter still visible. Sprinkle with the ice water and pulse until the dough just starts to come together; you should still see small pieces of butter. Scrape the dough onto a work surface, gather up any crumbs and pat the dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or for up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 350°. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 12-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and trim the overhang to 3/4 inch. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp decoratively. Arrange the peaches in a starburst pattern on the bottom of the pie.
In a small bowl, stir the remaining 1/3 cup of flour and 1 teaspoon of salt with both of the sugars and the cornstarch. Sprinkle evenly over the peaches. Spread the crème fraïche over the peaches and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbling. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool until slightly warm, at least 1 hour. Cut into wedges and serve.
MAKE AHEAD The pie can be stored in an airtight container overnight. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Originally published in Andrew Zimmern’s Kitchen Adventures on foodandwine.com.
Photograph by Madeleine Hill.
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