I’ve seen a few different methods out there designed to skirt the issue of making pie crust from scratch – some good, some bad, and some that are, well, not even something that I would consider to be food (I’m looking squarely at you, shortening).






I’ve heard tell of some recipes that promote pulverizing the dough in the food processor and others that recommend freezing rolled out sheets of crust to apply to the top of the pie, just to avoid the risk of ripping the darned thing. Of the former, I ask, but how do you expect to get a flaky crust from a homogenous dough?

As for the latter, I say, all this tip-toeing around the crust must end! It’s just a crust, it’s not a land mine for pete’s sake! If it rips, just shrug and patch the darned thing. Isn’t that what Julia would do?





But when I saw this top crust pie in my Bon Appetit this month, I warmed to the idea of easier pie crust, just a bit. It may have had something to do with the fact that the thermometer in NYC has been hovering around the 90 degree mark this week, making every extra moment spent in my kitchen unbearable.





More importantly, the end result of this recipe is stunning, and it’s not hard to make it so. I like to think of it less as a pie and more like an exquisite version of a refined crumble. The cookie cutters make the dough easier to work with (read: no fighting with sheets of dough in the heat) and the overall effect, all neat cutouts baked with sparkling raw sugar on top, is quite impressive. I think we’re onto something here.





And even though the heat and humidity don’t want us to, if there ever was a time to be making pies, it’s now. The cherries and strawberries have bellied up for last call, but there’s just enough left at the market for a pie. There’s also mountains of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries out there, enough to keep you in pies every night of the week. And, the crowning glory of stone fruit, the diva of desserts has arrived!





Peaches! They’re there at the market right now, piled in the sun beneath adorable, hand-lettered signs letting us know that we are thanked for handling the delicate peaches with care. So go forth, be gentle, wield cookie cutters, and dazzle with the results.

Top Crust Peach and Cardamom Pie
Adapted from Bon Appetit, August 2009

I doubled the cardamom for this recipe and I still thought it was too subtle for a recipe called “peach and cardamom”. Feel free to add more if you know that it’s a spice that you enjoy. This recipe called for using the food processor to make the crust, but I always opt for mixing pie crusts with my fingers to keep the chunks of butter a) cold and b) irregular. Make sure everything stays as cold as possible for best results!

I chose to top the finished product with fresh whipped cream, but my guests admitted that they had hoped it would be a la mode when they saw it, so next time I’d employ the ice cream maker as well.

Crust:

1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling:

2 1/2 pounds firm but ripe peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)

1 1/2 tablespoons raw sugar

2 1/Special Equipment: 2- to 3-inch heart-shaped or scalloped cookie cutter

For crust:
Blend flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter; using your fingers, blend the dry ingredients together until mixture resembles (as Dorie Greenspan puts it) “a gravel road” with sandy parts and also small chunks no bigger than the size of peas. If the dough has heated up, don’t be afraid to stick it back in the fridge to cool down. Add 3 tablespoons of ice water; and blend into the dough using a fork. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and knead briefly just until dough comes together, 4 to 5 turns. Flatten dough into disk; wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.  Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer dough round to prepared baking sheet and chill 20 minutes. Using 2 1/2- to 3-inch heart-shaped or scalloped cookie cutter, cut out shapes from dough, spacing close together (leave cutouts on baking sheet). If necessary, remove dough scraps, reroll, and cut out additional shapes for total of about 20. Chill on sheet while preparing filling.

For filling:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Place peach slices in medium bowl. Add sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cardamom and toss to coat. Transfer peach filling to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Carefully arrange cutouts atop filling in slightly overlapping concentric circles, starting at edge and working toward center, covering filling completely. Brush crust with beaten egg, then sprinkle with raw sugar.

Place pie on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown, peaches are tender, and juices are bubbling thickly at edges, about 45 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool at least 30 minutes. Spoon warm or room-temperature pie into bowls.

* Also called turbinado or demerara sugar; available at most supermarkets and at natural foods stores.