Bake the Book
20130726-bakethebook-peachpie.jpg

[Photograph: Vanessa Courtier]

Peaches and apricots meld well with the flavor of Amaretto in this pie from the aptly named cookbook Pie. A dusting of crunchy amaretto biscuits inside and up top provide a contrasting crunch.

Reprinted with permission by . Copyright © 2013. Published by Octopus Publishing. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.

About This Recipe

Ingredients

  • Shortcrust Pastry
  • 200g/7oz plain flour or all purpose flour
  • 110g/4oz butter, cubed or an equal mix of butter and lard
  • 2-3 tbsp very cold water
  •  
  • Filling
  • 400g/13oz fresh apricots, halved, stoned and cut into wedges
  • 500g/1lb fresh peaches, halved, stoned and cut into wedges
  • 150g/5oz caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
  • 3 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
  • 3 tablespoons cornflour
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 4 Amaretti biscuits, finely crushed
  • 15g/1/2oz butter, cut into pieces
  • 2 tablespoons milk, to glaze

Procedures

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

  2. Place the apricots and peaches in a bowl with the sugar, Amaretto liqueur, cornflour, lemon juice and half the Amaretti biscuits. Mix together well and set aside while you prepare the pastry.

  3. When your dough is ready, spoon the filling into the base of a 1.5 litre/21/2 pint pie dish and dot pieces of butter on the top.

  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to just larger than the pie dish, then cut off a strip to sit on the edge of the dish. Place the pastry on top and press down to seal. Trim off any excess pastry and glaze the top with a little milk. Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and the filling bubbling.

  5. While the pie is still hot, sprinkle on the remaining crushed Amaretti biscuits and caster sugar. Leave to stand for about 10­–15 minutes before serving with fresh pouring cream.

  6. To make shortcrust pastry: Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean bowl.

  7. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, working as quickly as possible to prevent the dough becoming warm.

  8. Add the water to the mixture and using a cold knife stir until the dough binds together, add more cold water a teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too dry.

  9. Wrap the dough in clingfilm / plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes.