Cooking and baking with sweet juicy summer fruits like peaches is a treat.

Ripe peaches work so well for a pie. Served with fresh whipped cream or homemade vanilla bean ice cream, a slice of warm peach pie for breakfast, after a special meal or even as a later day snack works so well.

Homemade peach pie does not have to have all the fillers and additives like a store-bought pie to make a nice filling. All you need is a small basket of locally grown farm peaches, a flaky crust, a dash of your favorite sweetener and a few other easy-to-get ingredients.

Pie crust is easy, after a try or two. Enjoy learning to make crust, and pass the crust-making skills on to your family.

Served warm or room temperature, peach pie is a fantastic end-of-summer or any-time-of-year treat. Enjoy.

Sarah’s Peach Pie

Pie Crust

2½ cups of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon of sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ vegetable shortening, cold from refrigerator

1½ sticks of unsalted butter, cold and diced

6-8 tablespoons of water

Filling

2¾ pounds of peaches, skin off, pitted and sliced to your liking

¾ cup of sugar

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

¼ cup of cornstarch

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cold and diced

In a large bowl, place your flour, sugar and salt. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until chilled. Put your food processor bowl and the blade in the refrigerator, too. You want these ingredients and your tools cold for pie crust with best results.

After these items are cold, add your flour to the food processor bowl. Process ingredients for a few seconds to incorporate. Add the cold shortening and the butter. Pulse for a few seconds, until the butter is about the size of small peas.

While pulsing the machine, gradually pulse in the water until all the water is combined. Divide the dough mixture into two separate pieces of plastic wrap. Form into dough discs, cover and store in the refrigerator.

The crust can be made the day before and stored.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Place a sheet pan on the bottom of your oven. Roll out your pie crust, cold. If the dough is too difficult to roll out, set out for a few moments.

Place the dough into your large glass baking pie pan and form into the pan. Add your pie filling.

After rolling out the second section of pie crust, place it onto the top of your pie, crimping your crust as you like. Put air slits into the top crust and place your pie into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to half-hour.

Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes, then reduce your oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for about 25-40 more minutes, until fruit juices are bubbling.

Place on cooling rack.

Serve hot or at room temperature, with your favorite vanilla bean ice cream or fresh whipped cream.