Peaches & Cream Pie

Peaches and Cream Pie
Recipe courtesy of a couple cooks 

9” unbaked pie shell (I used Ina Garten's recipe that I've raved about all summer long)

4 to 6 perfectly ripe peaches

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Pinch of kosher salt

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Prepare a pie crust in a 9" pie pan.

Prepare a large pot of boiling water. Drop one peach into the pot so that the water fully covers it, and boil for 2 minutes. Remove the peach from the water with a fork, and drop in the next peach. As the second peach boils, use a sharp knife to remove the thin skin of the peach (it should peel off in large sheets with your fingers). Repeat until all peaches are peeled. Cut each peach in half, remove the pit, and then cut it in half again to make quarters. Place the peach pieces into the pie shell.

In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, and a pinch of kosher salt. Pour in 1 cup heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla, and mix well until smooth. Pour the custard over the peaches.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 450°F, then turn down the oven to 325°F and bake 30 to 35 minutes longer. (If still runny, bake 5 to 10 minutes more, watching so that it does not burn. Place an old baking sheet or tin foil below the pie pan in case the liquid boils over.) Once finished, remove the pie from the oven and cool on a rack for about 1 hour. Then refrigerate for several hours or overnight to thicken the custard. When ready to serve, cut into pieces and serve ice-cold.