My wife gave me a cast-iron skillet as a gift and I’ve been experimenting with different recipes. Here’s one for a peach & blueberry pie with almond crust that you can bake in the skillet. Serve in the pan, warm straight from the oven.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
For the crust:
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of ice water
- 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
For the filling:
- About 9 large peaches, pitted and cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup of fresh blueberries
For the topping:
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup butter
Here’s what to do to make the pie:
First, toast the almonds by preheating the oven to 300 degrees F. Place the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet, stir them occasionally, and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until they are brown. Watch them closely as they can brown quickly.
Next, make the almond crust. Process the almonds in a food processor until they are fine. Add the flour, sugar, and salt, and pulse the processor to mix the ingredients together. Then, add the slices of butter and pulse the processor until you have pieces of dough forming about the size of peas. Add in the almond extract and then begin adding the ice water one tablespoon at a time. Just add enough water until the mixture forms a ball that sticks together. You don’t want to add too much water or pulse it too long. Form the dough into a ball and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.
While the dough is chilling you can prepare the filling. First, slice up all of the peaches. Place them in a large bowl with the blueberries. In a smaller bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch until blended then add this mixture to the peaches. Mix together until the peaches and blueberries are covered.
Making your peach & blueberry pie with almond crust
Prepare a floured surface. I use my counter, but you can use a large pastry cloth, parchment paper, or similar. You’ll need an area of about 15 to 18 inches in order to roll out the dough into a circle. I put a little flour on both sides of the dough so my rolling pin doesn’t stick, however, don’t use too much. Roll the dough to about 18 inches and then I like to fold it in half so it’s easier to put into the skillet. Place the folded dough in the pan, no need to grease it and unfold it allowing some of the dough to fall over the edges. You can always trim away some of the dough or if it’s not over the edge you can form the dough up the sides of the skillet to just under the edge. It doesn’t need to be too pretty.
Next, spoon the peach and blueberry mixture into the crust.
Prepare the crumb topping:
Combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Next, using a fork, pastry cutter or even your hands, cut in the butter until you have crumbles forming that you can sprinkle over the peach and blueberry mixture.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and place the rack in the center of the oven. Bake the pie for about 35 to 45 minutes until the crust is brown and the topping is golden. Let the pie sit for an hour or more before cutting. This allows the pie to set up a bit and it will make it easier to cut or spoon onto plates. This goes well with vanilla or even cinnamon ice cream on a hot summer day.
Enjoy!
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