Happy 3.14 or Pi Day as it's more commonly known. I'm a huge fan of pie so any day where the baking and eating of pie is encouraged is ok by me. While thinking about a pie for Pi Day I knew I wanted to use the peaches I had frozen at the end of last summer but I also wanted to figure out a way to tie the upcoming St. Patrick's Day into it. St. Patty's Day to me is all about beer and whiskey. I wasn't really feeling the idea of beer and peaches, though if anyone has a recipe that proves me wrong on that one I'd love to see it. But peaches & whiskey? Why not?
I had my base flavors figured out and then I remembered a gorgeous Sour Cherry Slab Pie that I had seen on on Smitten Kitchen a few years ago. I loved the look of this pie baked in a cookie sheet and had wanted to make but just never got around to it. From the gorgeous buttery crust to the lightly glistening glaze to that fact that it looked like it would be best eaten in your hands on a hot summer day, this was a pie for me. It was also the perfect pie that I just knew would be worth using the bulk of my frozen peaches.
Whiskey Laced Peach Slab Pie
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
1 1/2 All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Doughs, divided, patted into 2 thick rectangles, wrapped in plastic and chilled for at least an hour in the fridge
6 cups frozen peach slices - thawed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsps whiskey (I used Jack Daniels)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp cornstarch
pinch of sea salt
2 Tbsps heavy cream or an egg beaten with a Tbsp of water
GLAZE
1 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 Tbsps water
1/2 Tbsp whiskey (Jack Daniels again)
1. Preheat oven to 375F. In a bowl carefully toss the peaches, sugar, whiskey, cornstarch and sea salt.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger piece of pie dough into a 12"x18" rectangle. Luckily it was a cool day when i was doing this, be prepared for it to take some time and you may have to toss it in the freezer for a few minutes to keep it cold. Carefully transfer the rolled out dough to 10"x15"x1"baking sheet, I lined mine with parchment. The crust will hang over the edge of the pan.
3. Roll out the second piece of dough to a 11"x16" square, transfer to the top of the pie. Roll the edges of the bottom crust up over the top and pinch to seal. Poke all over with a fork. Brush with heavy cream or egg wash.
4. Place into oven and bake until the crust is golden, 40-55 minutes. Remove to a wire rack until just warm 45 minutes-1 hour.
5. In a small bowl mix the glaze ingredients and drizzle over the pie. If you want a stronger whiskey taste you can use 1 Tbsp each of whiskey and water, I was worried about it overpowering the pie, but it's all a matter of taste and if you're feeding it to kids!
Between the delicious flakiness of the crust and the perfect balance of sweetness this is honestly the best peach pie I've made and in case you didn't know I've made a few. There was the very first Peach Blueberry, then my Peach Vanilla Bean Cardamon which was great and hen my most recent Peach & Brie, all were good but none were as perfect as this baby. Whether you fill it with peaches, or sour cherries or apples or some other fruit it's a great pie. What's even better is that it feeds a crowd which makes it a winner for potlucks or parties. I'm in charge of dessert for the in laws Easter and I have a feeling I'll be whipping up one or two of these puppies and call it a day.
What are you enjoying this Pi Day? Baking, buying it's all good as far as I'm concerned. I may have to head down to my local fave The Pie Shack for a slice and a pot of tea.
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