Whenever I bake something that calls for liquor, it takes me almost as much time to purchase the alcohol as it does to actually bake. I'm exaggerating, of course. When I'm mildly familiar with the liquor, its purchase doesn't take too long. When I made vegan margarita cupcakes, I think I had the tequila on hand. But when I have to buy rum or brandy, I take so long that it's almost embarrasing. Anyway, this time I had to buy bourbon. I don't know anything about bourbon, but now I know that it's a kind of whiskey.
This weekend, I made a Bourbon Peach Pie, from a recipe that was originally for hand pies. This is a recipe that Drew had been drooling over for the past few weeks or so. In fact, he had requested this pie last weekend, but we got our lines of communication crossed and I made the Pear Ginger Maple Pie instead. (also, costco had pears, not peaches that weekend) Ha! This story sounds so 1950s and anti-feminist, but it's not. I forgot to mention in my pear pie writeup that Drew peeled the pears. And he offered to peel my peaches today. And, he almost always washes the dishes, which is what he did today.
I bought peaches yesterday (they were among the last in the store), but they were not fully ripe. So I wasn't sure if I could start baking with firm, not ripe, fruit, but after consulting Drew's mom, we learned that I could. To compensate for the firm peaches, I cooked the pie for a few more minutes and added a touch more sugar. I took a minor liberty with the recipe; in addition to granulated sugar, I added two tablespoons of brown sugar.
This weekend, I made a Bourbon Peach Pie, from a recipe that was originally for hand pies. This is a recipe that Drew had been drooling over for the past few weeks or so. In fact, he had requested this pie last weekend, but we got our lines of communication crossed and I made the Pear Ginger Maple Pie instead. (also, costco had pears, not peaches that weekend) Ha! This story sounds so 1950s and anti-feminist, but it's not. I forgot to mention in my pear pie writeup that Drew peeled the pears. And he offered to peel my peaches today. And, he almost always washes the dishes, which is what he did today.
I bought peaches yesterday (they were among the last in the store), but they were not fully ripe. So I wasn't sure if I could start baking with firm, not ripe, fruit, but after consulting Drew's mom, we learned that I could. To compensate for the firm peaches, I cooked the pie for a few more minutes and added a touch more sugar. I took a minor liberty with the recipe; in addition to granulated sugar, I added two tablespoons of brown sugar.
The pie crust is mostly all butter; the rest is shortening. I'm getting more confident with my pie crust making, and I'm starting to get the hang of rolling out the dough. I made a double crust, even decorating the top with little hearts (I'm not being sentimental; they are the smallest cookie cutters I own!). Take a look:
Even though I covered the edge with a pie protector, it still got quite dark. This made me a little nervous, but the pie was bubbling and smelled SO good straight out of the oven.
Check it out!
This pie might be my favorite so far, and this might be my best pie crust too. Even though it was a little dark, the crust was buttery and flaky. The peaches were soft and creamy, with a subtle bourbon taste. The pie held together very nicely, not too juicy or runny.At 4pm, I lamented to Drew that I had not yet gotten any work done. He said that baking pie was work. I laughed and said that yes, this is true, but pie isn't a Ph.D. requirement.
By the way, I have nearly a full bottle of bourbon remaining. If you have any ideas on what to bake with it, let me know!
2 comments:
Honey, if you ever want to know more about booze, just call me! I'll fill you in.
I hope you used Maker's Mark (it's my favorite). If you need to use up the bottle, try these:
1. Whiskey-soaked dark chocolate bundt cake: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/dining/031arex.html?_r=2&fta=y
2. Peach cobbler with a splash of bourbon in the filling.
3. Bread pudding with bourbon sauce: http://southernfood.about.com/od/breadpuddingrecipes/r/bl10424e.htm
4. Try any of these Southern recipes: http://southernfood.about.com/cs/kentuckyrecipes/a/bourbonrecipes_2.htm
You could also just drink the stuff in Old Fashioneds, Godfathers, or straight!
Kris, was this what I had? Because it was great. Thanks! (...I waited until the Angels were eliminated Sunday before diving into it; I guessing calling it consolation pie ended up mighty prescient of you) I'll return the plasticware soon.
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