GMA Recipe: Peach Fried Pies with Cinnamon Crust

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Peach Fried Pies with Cinnamon Crust
From chef and author Emeril Lagasse
Friday, August 19, 2005

When peaches are in season you know what Chef Emeril Lagasse is going to be eating! Here is his unique take on a peach pie with a kicked up crust, on Good Morning America.

Ingredients
Peach Filling

1 cup sugar

4 cups fresh (or frozen and thawed) peach slices, peeled

4 whole cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup cornstarch

Vanilla bean ice cream, for serving

Cinnamon Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface

3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for sprinkling the pies

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cream cheese, diced and chilled

9 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, chilled, plus more for frying

4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Directions

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine the sugar, peach slices, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix until blended.

Bring mixture to a boil; turn down heat and allow mixture to simmer until the peaches are softened, 20 to 25 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches from the saucepan and place in a small bowl. Reserve 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the peach liquid in the saucepan and discard the rest. Return the peaches to the saucepan.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and the cornstarch. Whisk cornstarch mixture into the peach mixture, stirring until combined. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to keep from sticking; mixture will be very thick.

Transfer peach mixture to a clean bowl and chill for 1 hour, or until completely chilled.

To make the crust, sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt into a large mixing bowl.

Add the chilled cream cheese and shortening and, working with your hands or a fork, mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time and gently mix until the dough begins to stick together.

Form dough into a round disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove from the refrigerator and divide the dough into 8 equal portions.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out each dough piece into a thin circle, about 6-inches in diameter.

Place 1/4 cup of the chilled peach filling into the center of each dough round. Fold the dough over, making a half-moon shaped pastry, trim any excess dough leaving a 1/2-inch edge around the filling, and crimp the edges together with a fork.

Chill pies for 30 minutes.

In a large heavy skillet, melt vegetable shortening to a depth of about 1/2-inch. Heat the shortening to 350° F.

Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with paper towels and sprinkle sugar lightly over the paper towels.

Fry pies in skillet, in batches, until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle the tops of the pies with sugar.

Serve immediately with vanilla bean ice cream, or let cool on a wire rack and serve at room temperature.

Makes 8 servings

Recipe copyright 2005, Emeril Lagasse