Caramel Peach Skillet Pie Recipes

CARAMEL PEACH SKILLET PIE

Steps:

• Prepare the puff pastry: Cube 1 cup/226 grams of butter (2 sticks) and place in the freezer while you measure out remaining ingredients.
• In a food processor, pulse to combine flour and salt. Add remaining 1/4 cup/57 grams butter (1/2 stick) to food processor; pulse to combine. Add the chilled butter cubes from the freezer and pulse twice, 1 second or less for each pulse.
• Add 1/3 cup/80 milliliters water, pulse very quickly once, then add another 1/3 cup/80 milliliters water and pulse once. Dough will still look dry and floury in spots, but it should look as if some areas are starting to clump together. But it will not form a ball. If the dough looks very dry, add another tablespoon or two of water, taking care to pulse it in only once. Do not overpulse this dough; the butter must remain in distinct large chunks, or the dough won't puff.
• Turn out the floury dough crumbles onto a lightly floured work surface and press them together into a rough rectangle. Using a floured rolling pin, roll rectangle out until it's 1/2 inch/13 millimeters thick (about 6 by 9 inches, or 15 by 23 centimeters) with the short side of the rectangle closest to you. The dough will be dry and still very crumbly in spots, but don't worry: It will come together as you continue to fold and roll.
• Use a pastry scraper or spatula to fold the top third of the dough down, then the bottom third of the dough up, so it's folded like a letter. (Dough will still be crumbly, and that's O.K.) Turn the folded dough 90 degrees, using a pastry scraper to push edges together if they fall apart. Press rolling pin on top of the layered dough several times to seal it, then roll into a rectangle that is 1/2 inch (13 millimeters) thick, always rolling from open end to open end. Continue rolling, folding and turning until the dough looks smooth and comes together, about four 90-degree turns.
• For the final fold, fold the edges of the dough rectangle like a book. To do this, fold the top and bottom parts into the center of the rectangle, so their ends meet. Then fold one half over the other. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill it for 45 minutes (or up to 3 days).
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cut peaches with 1 tablespoon sugar and let sit while you make the caramel.
• In a 9-inch ovenproof skillet, combine 2 tablespoons water with remaining 2/3 cup/150 grams sugar and cook over medium heat, swirling the pan, until very dark amber brown in color, about 8 minutes. To test the color, dribble some of the caramel on a white plate.
• Pour the peaches and their juices into the skillet; the caramel will sizzle a bit, so stand back. Cook peaches, stirring gently once or twice, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in tapioca, vanilla, cardamom and salt. Taste and add 1 teaspoon or so lemon juice, if necessary, to bring out the flavor of the peaches if desired.
• Using a sharp knife, cut chilled puff pastry in half. Wrap half the pastry back up in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Then roll out the other half on a lightly floured surface into a round that is 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) thick. Prick the round all over with the tines of a fork. Place pastry on top of the peaches in the skillet, tucking the edges into the skillet. (Be careful: The skillet may still be hot.) Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
• Put the skillet on a rimmed baking pan to catch any overflow, and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until top is golden brown and has puffed, and juices are bubbling, about 20 more minutes. Let pie cool for at least 20 minutes before serving from the skillet, preferably with ice cream.

PEACH SKILLET PIE

Steps:

• Use a bench scraper to cut butter into ½-inch cubes. (If butter begins to "sweat," dust with flour.) In a large, flat-bottomed bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter cubes and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour; do not smash or smear the butter. Scrape butter off the pastry blender during the mixing process and continue mixing. (If butter is softening too fast, put the bowl in the refrigerator until butter firms up, 2-5 minutes.) Continue cutting, working quickly, until butter is broken down and looks like a coarse crumble with only a few larger pieces.
• Combine vinegar with water and ice; you'll use 10-12 tablespoons of this liquid in the pie dough. Begin by sprinkling 4 tablespoons of liquid over the flour mixture; use a bench scraper or your hands to incorporate until the mixture begins to come together. Sprinkle in 4 more tablespoons of liquid and continue the mixing process. Squeeze a fistful of dough: if it holds, like wet sand, it's ready. If it falls apart, add 1-2 more tablespoons of liquid at a time, squeezing the dough to check if it holds. Bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of liquid as necessary; dough will look shaggy. Knead in the bowl just until incorporated.
• Turn dough onto a work surface and use a bench scraper to divide dough into two equal pieces. Shape into flat disks and wrap in plastic; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen up to 1 month, tightly wrapped.
• Crust: Generously grease a cast-iron skillet with butter. Dust a work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Place one of the chilled dough disks on the work surface and roll it out, starting at the center and lightly pressing down with the rolling pin to flatten slightly. Continue rolling, rotating the dough a quarter turn at a time, until it's an evenly flat circle, about ⅛- to ¼-inch thick and 2-3 inches wider than the skillet all the way around, allowing an extra inch or two if the skillet is deep. (If dough softens too fast, chill in the refrigerator until firm, 2-5 minutes.) Use a pizza wheel to trim the rough edges of the dough circle. Transfer dough to skillet by folding in half and positioning the seam in the center. Unfold the dough, gently center, and fit it into the skillet, leaving no gaps. (Try not to stretch the dough.) Chill in the refrigerator while rolling out the top crust and assembling filling, 30 minutes.
• Prepare a decorative pinwheel top crust: Roll the second disk of chilled dough as in Step 1, but ¼-inch thicker than the bottom crust. Place on a sheet of parchment paper. Use a pizza wheel to cut dough into 4 quarters; then cut each quarter into thirds, leaving you with 12 wedges. (They don't have to be exactly the same size.) Transfer to a baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator while preparing filling, 20 minutes.
• Filling: Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Score an "X" into the bottom of each peach and place into the simmering water, 30-60 seconds. Remove peaches and immediately place into the ice water. When peaches have cooled slightly, remove from ice water and peel with your hands, using a paring knife to remove any remaining skin. Cut peeled peaches into ½-inch slices and place in a large bowl.
• In another bowl, mix together brown sugar, potato starch, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Add bitters and mix again. Add lemon juice to peaches and toss to coat; then add peaches to the spice mixture. Mix thoroughly to coat the peaches.
• Spoon peach filling into chilled pie crust, including some juices, until the filling is level with the top of the skillet. (If there is extra filling, save for a smaller pie or freeze for future use.) Arrange top crust wedges in an overlapping pinwheel pattern on top of the filling, tucking the last wedge under the first. Use your finger to poke a hole in the center to tuck in the crust points.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Use scissors to trim the top crust wedges to the edge of the skillet. Roll and tuck any excess bottom crust dough inward around the top crust. Crimp the edge of the pie all the way around, making sure the final fluted crust sits directly on top of the skillet's rim. (Remove some of the dough as you crimp whenever the edge seems too thick.) Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Brush egg wash evenly over the top of the chilled pie, being careful not to spread any peach juices across the crust. (They will burn during baking.) Sprinkle with raw sugar and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Pie will bake for a total of 1 hour. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven until crust is set and beginning to brown, 20 minutes.
• Lower heat to 375 degrees F, move pie to the center oven rack, and continue to bake until crust is a deep golden brown and juices are bubbling throughout, about 35-45 minutes longer. Allow pie to cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into it, 2-3 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

PEACH MELBA PIE WITH BUTTERMILK CARAMEL

Steps:

• For the crust: Pulse the flour, sugar and kosher salt in a food processor to combine. Scatter in the butter pieces and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Sprinkle with the vinegar and 5 tablespoons of the water. Pulse until the dough just begins to come together. (If the dough is still floury and crumbly, add the last tablespoon of water and pulse again.) Dump the dough on the counter and press into a disc with your hands. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the preserves and stir until smooth, then simmer until syrupy, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, brandy, lemon juice, ginger and nutmeg. Add the peaches and raspberries, then sprinkle with the cornstarch and toss to coat the fruit in the cornstarch.
• Roll the dough on a floured counter to a circle about an inch or so wider than the top of the skillet. Trim the dough to clean up the edges, then lay the dough over the top of the skillet, tucking the edges inside. Cut 3 small slits in the top of the dough to let steam escape. Brush the dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
• Place the skillet on the lined baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the crust is crisp and deep golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.
• For the sauce: Put the caramel sauce in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until it starts to simmer, then whisk in the buttermilk and flaky salt. Return to a simmer and simmer until smooth, about 1 minute. Let cool before serving.
• To serve, scoop the pie into serving dishes and drizzle with the sauce. Sprinkle with additional flaky salt, if desired.

CARAMEL PEACH PIE

Steps:

• Combine all sauce ingredients in saucepan; bring to a boil.
• Cook for 1 minute.
• Set aside and cool to lukewarm.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and sugar.
• Add butter, milk, and vanilla.
• Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer.
• Add egg and beat 1 minute longer.
• Fold in peaches, reserving 8 slices for topping later.
• Pour batter into unbaked pie shell.
• Spoon cooled caramel sauce over top of batter.
• Bake at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes, or until set.
• 10 minutes before the pie is done, quickly arrange reserved peach slices over the top and finish baking.
• Serve peach pie warm.