Spiced Strawberry Peach Pie

I can eat anything strawberry.  If you ask any of my friends or family, they'll tell you my first choice is always strawberry ice-cream; I often crave strawberry shortcake; and I'll never complain of a fruit salad with too many strawberries.  So it was pretty obvious to me that my first ever homemade pie include strawberries.  Because peaches are a staple in the south, the thought of combining the two fruits into a single, sweet pie made my mouth water.

{As I begin this pie-making journey, I'll be experimenting with many pie crust recipes and trying to find the perfect sweetness for any filling.  I used a basic pie crust recipe for my first pie, and the result was pure deliciousness}

Pie Crust:

2  1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1  teaspoon salt

1  cup (very cold) unsalted butter

4  tablespoons ice water

1  egg

Pie Filling:

4-5 large peaches, skin removed and sliced

1 quart strawberries, halved

1 cup sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

I read a ton of "pie crust how to's" before attempting my first pie.  Did I need a pastry knife? What if I didn't have all the "right" pastry tools? I was nervous when I began {hello! I just bought my first pie dish yesterday!!}.  While I didn't have a pastry knife {and knowing my skills were quite weak trying to cut butter into flour by hand}, I pulled out my trusty Ninja, and it was the perfect solution.

In the food processor container, combine the flour and salt and pulse a few times {just enough to combined the ingredients}.  Next, cube the butter {into rough 1/4 inch cubes} and add to the flour mixture.  Pulse the ingredients several times, until the mixture starts to come together.  Slowly begin to add the ice water and pulse. The dough should be clumpy.  Split dough in half, form into flat spheres, and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for minimum one hour {I refrigerated mine for four hours}.

While the dough chills, combine all ingredients for the pie filling in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is done chilling.  

Remove dough from refrigerator.  Dust flour on rolling surface and rolling pin.  Begin to roll the dough, starting in the center and working outwards.  Dough should be be roughly 12 inches in diameter.  When dough reaches desired size, begin folding an edge of the dough back over the rolling pin {which creates an easy transfer method to the pie dish}.  In a greased pie dish, unroll the dough and press flat into the pie dish.  

Fill pie with fruit mixture.

Begin rolling out second sphere of chilled dough.  Continue rolling until dough reaches 1/8 inch thickness.  Using a pizza cutter {or fancy pastry wheel}, cut strips roughly 1 inch wide.  Follow these instructions to make the lattice.  

Place pie in a preheated 425 degree oven {I recommend placing pie dish on a baking dish to help catch any overflow from the pie while baking}.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, and continue cooking for 45 minutes - 1 hour {If edges of pie begin to brown too quickly, wrap in aluminum foil}.

Let cool for 4 hours {to allow all fruit juices to thicken}.  Serve and enjoy!

bon appétit,

Kelsey