It’s golden queen season and nothing beats munching into that first delicious peach of the year. If you’re lucky enough to have access to a tree and you’ve eaten and bottled as much as you can and still have bucketsful to spare, then have a go at this recipe!
Nothing beats apple pie except this. With a sneaky layer of crunchy apples on the bottom, layers of marinated sweet golden peaches atop, encased in my Nana’s shortcake pastry crust and served with a dollop of mascarpone, each mouthful will have you dreaming of simpler times. Of picnics under willow trees, kites flying in the breeze and puppies bouncing through long late summer grasses.
Because shortcake pastry is impossible to roll, I use good quality ready rolled puff pastry to create the lattice top.
THE SHORT CRUST PASTRY BOTTOM
4 oz butter softened
4 oz sugar
1 egg
8 oz flour
1 t baking powder
Pinch of salt
THE FILLING
5 large golden queen peaches
3 T brown sugar
1 inch ginger grated
6 cloves
1 large apple finely sliced
Juice of half a lemon
1 T cornflour
THE PUFF PASTRY TOP
1 sheet puff pastry
Egg yolk to brush
Sugar to sprinkle
Method
Peel and slice each peach into 16 slices then marinate overnight in the brown sugar, ginger and cloves.
NANA’S PASTRY - Beat the sugar and butter together till creamy, beat in the egg then fold in the dry ingredients and mix till it forms a ball. Don’t over mix.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Now thinly slice the apple and toss with lemon juice and sugar and leave to sit for a few minutes.
Drain the peaches through a sieve, remove the cloves and reserve the syrup. Mix the cornflour into the drained peaches.
Butter your Lil’ Legacy Ironclad Pan and using your hands push the pastry into the pan and up the sides until it’s evenly lined. Trim any remaining pastry from around the rim.
Heat your oven to 180°C.
Layer the apples on top of the pastry, followed by the peaches.
Slice the pastry into 10 equal strips and create the lattice atop the peaches.
Around the edge of the pan, press the puff pastry into the short crust pastry then brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 30 – 35 minutes till crunchy and golden.
On a low heat reduce the remaining peach syrup by half.
Serve with a dusting of icing sugar, lashings of mascarpone and a drizzle of peach and ginger syrup.
Yep. It tastes like 1953 and the world is at peace.
