Custard peach pie

This pie isn’t going to win any beauty contests but boy, does it taste good! It is also quicker to make than you might think because you don’t need to bake the pastry blind. The whole thing goes into the oven at the same time.

Fruit and custard is a perfect combination. Here, the custard contrasts beautifully with the biscuity pastry and soft peaches.


I don’t think peaches are used enough in baking; they have a lovely flavour and texture which makes them ideal for cakes and desserts. I loaded up the pie shell with peaches:


This is what I consider an American pie as British pies tend to have pastry lids. The addition of the streusel topping adds a nice extra texture to the custard.

One omission from the original recipe though, which cost me dear, was the failure to warn that the pastry might over-brown. I would recommend checking it after 15 minutes and covering with foil if it’s browning too quickly. This will spare you the heart-break of having something look like this:


Luckily, one quick haircut later and it was ok!



Ingredients:

For the shortcrust pastry:
175g plain flour
120g unsalted butter, cold
3 tablespoons icing sugar
2 egg yolks

For the filling:
5 peaches (approx 700g)
150ml soured cream
3 egg yolks
200g caster sugar
30g plain flour

For the streusel topping:
60g unsalted butter
75g plain flour
60g caster sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

How to make:

- Start by making the pastry: put the flour, butter and icing sugar into the food processor and blitz until you get fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg yolks and blitz until the pastry just starts to come together.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and bring together into a ball of dough, handling no more than is absolutely necessary.
- Wrap in clingfilm and chill for approximately 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan oven 200°C/425°F/Gas mark 7.
- Roll the pastry out between two pieces of clingfilm until it is bigger than a 20-23cm pie dish.
- Ease the pastry into the pie dish. NB, there is no need to grease the pie dish due to the high butter content of the pastry.
- Leave approximately 2.5cm of pastry overlapping all the way around – you can crimp this or simply leave it plain.
- Peel 4 of the 5 peaches and cut into slices. I used sliced tinned peaches.
- Arrange the slices in the pastry case. You get a good fit if you overlap them in concentric circles.
- Beat together the soured cream, egg yolks, sugar and flour until just combined.
- Pour slowly and gently over the peaches – you don’t want to dislodge them.
- Bake the pie for 30 minutes or until the custard is just beginning to set. I recommend checking the pie after 15 minutes and covering the pastry edges loosely with foil if it is browning too quickly.
- While the pie is baking, prepare the streusel topping: rub together the butter, sugar and flour until you have breadcrumbs. Normally I would do this in a food processor, but the amount here is so small it’s quicker by hand.
- Stir in the ground cinnamon.
- After the pie has baked for 30 minutes, evenly sprinkle the streusel over the custard.
- Bake for a further 15 minutes or until the streusel is golden and a skewer inserted into the pie comes out clean.
- Cool the pie on a wire rack. You can serve the pie warm or cold.
- Just before serving, peel and slice the remaining peach arranging on top of the pie.
- I served my pie at room temperature with some spooning cream.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.