LESSON 2 : LEARN HOW TO COOK

Cooking teacher : Mary

Location : Mary’s lovely home…that I wish was mine

Dish : Peach Pie

A few months ago Brian mentioned in passing that he loved homemade peach pie, it was then I decided I would master one. So when I started 365 til 30, peach pie was high on my list. A MUST, REALLY. When I shared this with my mom, she immediately said I had to call Mary! Mary is one of my moms longtime best friends, who is like family to me. She’s a brilliant history professor, writer and one of the funniest and most interesting people I know. Oh and she also happens to make an aaaaaamazing peach pie.

You see, a few years ago Mary remodeled her kitchen and thought it would be a shame if she didn’t put her new space to good use. So she taught herself how to cook and bake (see you can learn anytime!!) . In the last few years she has become quite the chef. She now moves around the kitchen with confidence, ease and her dry sense of humor intact.

When I asked Mary to teach me the art of the peach pie she happily agreed. I dragged my momma along for the ride to take pictures and hangout. Now let’s get to the baking. I found baking a pie to be a totally satisfying experience…that was until it was time to handle the dough. Let me tell you, it is no easy task, nor is it a tidy one. As we were rolling out the dough it kept falling apart.  Flour was all over the kitchen, the dogs and us. It was then Mary looked at me and said “whatever could have possibly gone wrong with dough…has.” My mom thought the situation was funny, so she was told to stop taking pictures and keep her questions to a minimum because working with dough is no laughing matter. Dough is terribly finicky and hard to please. In the end I decided that I will be the type of baker who buys her pie crust…already made. I have enough worries, no need to cause myself any added pain and anxiety.

Highlight of the day….the blanching and peeling of the peaches. It felt almost naughty to drop sweet peaches into scolding water!  It got even better when it was time to peel them. There is something very gratifying about peeling their soft, thin, little skins off not to mention a totally meditative process. Strange but true, I recommend trying it! I also loved the sound of my mom and Georgia (Mary’s granddaughter ) giggling and coloring next to us while we baked. It’s exactly what I hope my kitchen sounds like one day.

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Ingredients :

2 pounds of peaches ( 6-10 depending on their size)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits

Milk as needed

Directions :

1- Peel the peaches. Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop peaches into it, a couple at a time, for 10 to 30 seconds, or until skins loosen. Plunge into a bowl of ice water. Slip the peels off, using a pairing knife if needed. Pit, slice, and toss with lemon juice.

2- Mix together dry ingredients and toss the peaches with mixture. Pile into the rolled into pie shell. Dot with butter. Cover with the top crust. Decorate edges with fork.

3. Place pie on baking sheet and brush the top lightly with milk; sprinkle with sugar. Use sharp paring knife to cut two or three 2 inch long vent holes in top of pie crust.

4. Place in oven and bake for 50 minutes on 350 F

Tags: baking, dogs, flour, happy, Joy, Kate McClafferty, Laughter, life, Love, Peach Pie, pie dough, rolling