I'm from the South--of COURSE I know how to make peach pie.

This isn't my usual recipe--this is one I discovered recently (about 6 hours ago, actually).  I love love love Saveur magazine.  I've yet to make a recipe from one of the issues that wasn't outstanding.

The boys and I were at Walmart tonight and I noticed they had peaches on sale for $0.68 per pound.  I thought, "Yeah, they're beautiful--I'm sure they're about as soft as rocks."  I picked one up and I'll be damned--they're PERFECT.  Seriously.  I have never bought any type of fruit from Walmart that was ripe.  Normally it has to sit on my counter for a few days before you can eat it without chipping a tooth.  So when I got home I thought, "Now what?  I know--I'll make a peach pie for my blog!"  I used the crust recipe listed instead of one of my own.  I might have mentioned before that when it comes to food, I believe that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  I always try a recipe as-written once.  If it's perfect, then great!  If it's not, then I'll try to figure out what it needs (or doesn't need), make notes, and tuck the recipe away for making again later.  I figured I'd give the crust recipe a shot.  You know what?  It's awful.  It's the worst pie crust I've ever eaten.  Use a different crust recipe!

Speaking of pie crust, I love working it with my fingers (versus a pastry blender).  There's something about rubbing bits of cold butter into recently-sifted, very soft flour that makes me nearly euphoric.  I'll (seriously) stand there and drift off to my happy place while working the butter into the flour.

Okay, enough of that.  I'm willing to bet this will be the best peach pie you've ever tasted.  Yummmmmmm!

Ginger Peach Pie  

 2 cups flour
1⁄2 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. chilled butter, cut into pieces
3 tbsp. chilled vegetable shortening
1 egg
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2⁄3 cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar (next time, I'll increase the sugar in the pie to 1 cup)
1⁄4 cup instant tapioca
4 lbs. fresh peaches
2 tbsp. butter
1 egg white

For the crust: Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl.  Rub butter and shortening into flour mixture with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Whisk egg and lemon juice together in a small bowl, then sprinkle into flour mixture with 3–4 tbsp. ice water.  Mix until dough just begins to hold together.  Wrap; refrigerate 1 hour.

For the filling: Combine lemon juice, ginger, cinnamon, 2⁄3 cup of the sugar, and tapioca in a large bowl.  Blanch peaches in a pot of boiling water for 15 seconds, then cool in a bowl of cold water.  Peel, cut into thick slices, and toss in lemon juice mixture.

Preheat oven to 375°.  Divide dough in half.  Roll into two 12" circles on a floured surface.  Line a 9" pie pan with one circle; add peach filling.  Drape remaining circle on top, crimp edges, and slash top.  Brush with egg white, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp. sugar.  Bake until golden, about 1 hour.  Serve warm.