I hate people who don’t share recipes. I especially hate those people who cryptically reply to your request for said recipe with “It’s a family recipe” instead of the ACTUAL recipe. I’m sorry, but I didn’t realize that I would have to resort to a DNA test and/or marriage to get a recipe from you. That being said, I am not one of those people. I have and will continue to shamelessly share any and all family recipes I possess. There aren’t many of them, but what’s mine is yours, ladies.
The recipe I bring to you today is for English Peach Pie. Now, I know some of you are actually picturing a pie right now, which is totally incorrect. This is more of a cobbler than a pie. Why is it called a pie, then? I have no clue. That answer died a few generations ago. You can add it to the mystery of Stone Henge.
English Peach Pie
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix by hand, directly in 13×9 glass casserole dish, the following:
- 2 large cans (29 ounces) peach halves in heavy syrup drained and sliced by hand (I say peach halves because if you use a can of sliced peaches, there aren’t very many slices in the can, but if you use a can of peach halves and slice them yourself, you get more fruit.)
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 2 T. flour
- 2 tsp. almond extract
Topping:
- 2 c. flour
- 1 c. light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 c. butter, chilled and sliced
- In bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Add sliced butter.
-Using a pastry cutter (a sturdy pastry cutter, not one of those sissy cutters that’s a glorified whisk. I’m pretty sure mine could double as a weapon in a pinch. If you can’t find a pastry cutter, a solid fork will work, it’ll just take longer), work the butter into the flour and brown sugar mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Butter bits should be very small.
-Then, using your hands, press the remaining butter into the crumbs until fully encorporated. Topping will almost resemble a very dry, very loose dough. Crumble pieces of topping onto the peaches until fully and evenly covered.
-Bake for one and a half hours. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for at least one hour (if you are at all fond of your mouth skin). Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Now with time, things change, and I admit, I have tweaked this recipe a little bit. I doubled the recipe and use the same size casserole dish for a thicker dessert and I cut the sugar because the original recipe called for a full cup of sugar for only one can of peaches, which is a little sickening and I prefer to taste my fruit and not just sugar. Whenever I make this, the hubby finishes it off in a few days, so I think I did something right (or horribly wrong). I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
