JUST PEACHY

 “Sunrise paints the sky with pinks and the sunset with peaches. "― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

 When I was young, we had neighbours who always went to Las Vegas from the middle of July to the middle of August. They had this peach tree that grew flat against  their house. It was enormous. Like a big fuzzy snake.

My job, when they were away, was to pick up their mail. And I could pick as many peaches as I wanted.  Every few days I would bring over a bigger bowl and cram as many peaches as possible into its depths.

My mother made crisps, jams, sauces, stewed, but never made a Peach Pie.So I finally decided summer was not complete without one.....

INGREDIENTS: 1 double crust pastry, 1 egg beaten, 6 cups sliced peaches ( or more....I tended on the side or more), splash of lemon juice, 3/4 cup flour, 1 cup white sugar, ( or a little less), sprinkle of cinnamon, sprinkle of nutmeg

 Spread one disc of pastry in shell. Brush with some of the beaten egg. Save some for the top.

 The beaten egg helps the bottom crust to bake. You can also blind bake the bottom first. Then put in the filling ...works really great. ( Blind baking is to bake the bottom crust a bit first at 400 degrees. About 10 minutes.)

 Mix fruit with all other ingredients. Pile into shell.

 Dot with butter

 "The peach was radiant, dusky rose and gold..." ― Allegra Goodman, The Cookbook Collector

 Cover the fruit with top pastry disc.

 Brush with egg and slash slits to let steam escape.

 Pop into oven. Bake at 450 for about 10 minutes.

 Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 45 minutes. One recipe said 30 minutes, but it's not long enough.

 Let cool. If you can wait that long. then slice away.

 Tastes like fresh peaches. Delicate. As if you just picked them from the tree....

 Photographs 2019