Now that I’m an adult and the lazy days of summer are long behind me, I kind of think seasonal eats are summer’s biggest prize.
A Pie with Pennsylvania Dutch Origins
This recipe gets its start from my Great Aunt Charlotte’s peach pie recipe, but I’ve made many tweaks over the years to the topping, in favor of more butter. And sometime I add berries, sometimes I don’t. She was Pennsylvania Dutch (a.k.a. German) and made everything from scratch, but peach pie was a definite specialty. The instructions were so simple, and the pies were always, always made with a crumb topping.
The Beauty of a Crumb Topping
The genesis of my summertime pie obsession started because I grew up eating crumb-topped pies like my Great Aunt’s. I’m convinced (although this is highly unscientific) that it has something to do with my Pennsylvania German background. A crumb topping might be a little different from what you normally think of when you think of pie, but it’s still special: It’s rustic and homey. It’s also just what I want pie to be when I want pie, which is at any given fruit-loving moment from July through November. A crumb topping is decidedly unfussy. The topping for today’s pie, however, amps up Aunt Charlotte’s approach because I’ve made the crumbs the size of small boulders, taking a cue from my New York-style crumb cake recipe, which consists of a glorious 3/4 crumb to 1/4 cake ratio.
The Best Fruit for Crumb Pie
I started pairing peaches and blueberries mostly because I would end up buying them or picking them at the same time at a nearby farm. As with much of nature, the fact that these fruits are ripe at roughly the same time is no accident whatsoever! But sometimes I make this pie with just peaches (like Aunt Charlotte), and by all means, if you have superior specimens that you want to highlight in all their beautiful simplicity, go for it. Leave out the blueberries altogether—just add equal parts peaches.
Can We Talk About Pie Anxiety?
People get really antsy about pie. I think it’s because most photos show a beautifully baked pie, the mere existence of which can bring an inordinate amount of fear and loathing, triggering a wave of kitchen insecurities. Let me tell you a couple of secrets, dear reader. First: Pie dough is really forgiving. This recipe from Elise for Perfect Pie Crust that we’ve had on our site for years is tried and true. Just halve the all-butter version for the bottom crust in this recipe, and you are good to go. You can make it lickety-split in the food processor, which is my preference, but you don’t need to use a machine. People have been making pies way longer than the dawn of La Machine in the 1970s (first generation food processor. Google it!) If it doesn’t roll out perfectly, just patch it back together. If the crust doesn’t fit right when you transfer it to the pie dish, gently press it into place. It can take it. Pinky swear promise. Second: Pies are not designed to make you feel insecure. They are more benevolent than that. They are designed for you to eat them. They are not complicated and can actually be made fairly quickly. The dough comes together easily with minimal effort and chills for an hour. Then just toss together some fresh fruit, roll out the dough, put all in the oven, and then consume said pie with friends and family and neighbors and anyone who happens to drop by. Maybe you add a scoop of ice cream. Maybe you don’t. Because pie. Who refuses pie? I have not seen it happen yet.
Let Pie Cool Before Serving
Please don’t be like me and let your food impatience get the better of you and cut into this baby before it’s cooled off. You really do need a couple of hours before you can cut into it. If you don’t, it will result in a pie that does not acquiesce to your desires—in other words, it will not hold its shape and fall apart! Then you have crumble with a broken bottom crust, and that’s a different story. Still edible, but not quite pie anymore.
How to Store This Pie
If for some reason you have leftovers, you can freeze pie. I have never needed to do it with this pie because, like I said, I have never seen anyone refuse pie. I store this in the refrigerator covered in aluminum foil because the fruit can get moldy at room temperature, which in the summer means a warmer kitchen, irrespective of the air conditioning situation in your house.
Get More Summer Pie Love Right Here!
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Using your clean hands, bring together the ingredients so the butter has evenly distributed, and you’ll naturally start to form crumbs. This pie will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, although the crust will get a little dried out. It takes kindly to a gentle reheating in the microwave or a low oven (350°F) for about 15 minutes, straight from the fridge.
