Peach Pie Two Ways~ Vanilla Cardamom and Caramel

Well, my Emeril streak is over and it's time to move on to my regular schedule, which is certainly not three posts a week. It was a lot of fun but cooking, photographing and posting that much is just a little too much for me to keep up with.

I made these pies a few weeks ago, so I wanted to get this post out before it was impossible to get fresh peaches anymore this season. Although, truthfully I really actually prefer canned peaches when I make pies most of the time. Is that sacrilegious? They just hold up better when cooked and I just love fresh peaches, well, fresh.

I made these two peach pies at the same time and it was fun to see how different the flavors were. The first was a Vanilla Cardamom that was quite different than anything I've ever had before but it really was a great combination. I ground some fresh white cardamom that I had recently picked up. The flavor is almost savory and then paired with the fresh vanilla had been chopped up whole in the food processor with sugar provided the perfect sweet balance.

The second pie tossed the peaches in a homemade caramel sauce that was fantastic! Easy to make and it added a great flavor that complimented the peaches without being overly sweet.This one was definitely my favorite and I've since used the caramel sauce in a apple crisp as well. So good!

Vanilla and Cardamom Peach Pie
adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon (scant) ground cardamom
3 3/4 pounds firm but ripe unpeeled peaches, halved, pitted, each half cut into 4 slices (about 10 cups)
2 Best-Ever Pie Crust dough disks (click for recipe)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Whipping cream (for glaze)
Vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and vanilla bean in processor; blend until vanilla bean is very finely minced. Sift vanilla sugar through strainer into large bowl; discard any large bits in strainer. Mix flour and cardamom into vanilla sugar. Add peaches to flour-sugar mixture and toss gently to coat. 

Roll out 1 pie crust disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Spoon peach mixture into crust; dot with butter. Roll out second pie crust disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Drape dough over peach filling; trim overhang to 1 1/2 inches. Fold top and bottom edges under, pressing together to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Using small sharp knife, cut 2-inch-long X in center of top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush crust lightly with whipping cream; sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar. 

Place pie on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden, peaches are tender, and juices bubble thickly through cut in top crust, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool until lukewarm, about 2 hours.

Serve pie lukewarm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Peach Caramel Pie
adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

2 Tender Pie Crust dough disks (click for recipe)
1 egg white, beaten to blend

Filling

1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon (scant) ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3 1/2 pounds firm but ripe peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, each half cut into 3 wedges
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
 
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons whipping cream
 
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
 
1 egg yolk, beaten to blend with 2 teaspoons water (glaze)
1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (cinnamon sugar)

Preparation

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Place foil-lined baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch any spills. Roll out 1 pie crust disk on lightly floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold edges under and crimp decoratively, forming high rim (about 1/2 inch above sides of dish). Chill crust 30 minutes. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans. Bake crust until sides are set and pale golden, about 35 minutes. Transfer to rack; remove foil and beans. Brush warm crust with egg white. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, line another baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out second pie crust disk on floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. Cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips. Place strips on prepared baking sheet. Chill while preparing filling.

For filling:

 

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl. Add peaches and lemon juice and toss gently to coat. Let stand 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 11 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter and cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); stir caramel until smooth. Strain juices from peaches into caramel; cool to lukewarm.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Add caramel and flour to peaches in bowl; toss gently. Transfer filling to crust, mounding in center.

Arrange 6 dough strips in 1 direction across top of pie, spacing apart. Working with 1 strip at a time, arrange 6 more strips in opposite direction atop first, lifting strips and weaving over and under, forming lattice. Gently press ends of strips to edge of baked bottom crust to adhere. Trim overhang. Brush lattice strips (but not crust edge) with egg yolk glaze. Sprinkle strips with cinnamon sugar.

Bake pie 35 minutes. Tent pie loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning. Continue to bake pie until filling bubbles thickly and lattice is golden brown, about 25 minutes longer. Cool pie on rack.