Chef John's Peach Pie

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 85 min
Servings: 10
Yield: 10 servings

Description

This peach pie topped with a gorgeous lattice crust is Chef's John's recipe for the perfect summer dessert bursting with juicy, sweet stone fruit.

Ingredients

3 pounds fresh freestone peaches, peeled and sliced
1 cup white sugar, divided
1 tiny pinch salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pastry for a 10-inch double crust pie
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into tiny pieces
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream, or to taste
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste

Directions

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2 Stir together peaches, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl until combined; let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain accumulated juices into a saucepan and return strained peaches to the bowl.
3 Bring juices in the saucepan to a boil; reduce heat to medium-high and cook until mixture thickens to a syrup, 5 to 10 minutes.
4 Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, flour, and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Stir lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon into peaches; sprinkle with flour mixture and toss to coat. Pour hot peach syrup over peach mixture and stir.
5 Roll out one pastry into a 12-inch circle. Press into the bottom of a 10-inch pie plate. Pour peach filling into crust, tap the pie plate against a flat surface to settle filling, and dot with butter.
6 Roll remaining pastry into an 11-inch circle and cut into 1-inch strips using a paring knife or pastry wheel.
7 Lay 5 pastry dough strips evenly over the top of pie. Weave remaining pastry dough strips through to form a lattice top. Fold the ends of lattice strips under bottom crust and crimp crust to seal. Brush cream over the top and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
8 Bake in the preheated oven until crust is browned and filling is bubbly, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.