by Yanichka Ariunbold, section editor

Thanksgiving is over…but that doesn’t mean you have to wait another year until it’s socially acceptable to binge-eat pies to the brink of exhaustion. There’s no shame in defying social constructs here and there, especially if said constructs declare pies out of season.

So in a bout of post-Thanksgiving depression, I decided to give a go at making my all-time favorite dessert: the peach cobbler. With hell-ish college supplementals waiting to be done and the prospect of my future proving more unclear than ever, what do I have to lose from indulging in some bake-therapy (and its yummy results)?

For those of you who have never tried, making a pie is pretty complex. I followed two different recipes: one for the pie crust and one to make the “peach-cobbler” part of it. The latter did include its own pie crust recipe, but Simple Recipes’ “The Perfect Pie Crust” seemed to have better reviews (and I’m very glad I went with it, since the crust was indeed perfection).

In fact, the crust, lacking in aesthetics but unimaginably crispy, was absolutely heavenly. Though my clumsy handling of the flour ended up far from pretty, the actual taste more than made up for it. One thing I learned: make sure you really do follow the directions with the chilling of the flour and whatnot, even if you’re super hungry and just want some pie ASAP– when you chill pie dough, it’s easier to roll out and handle, and it shrinks less. Meaning there’s more crust at the end…!

As for the second part of the pie, the directions to make the inside of the pie were pretty straight-forward, even for an amateur baker like myself. Frankly, after I figured out how to lay out the crust, I didn’t run into any problems besides not being able to tell which of our measuring cups were which (all their labels had rubbed off).

Probably because of the way I had to eyeball my measurements, the pie turned out perhaps a bit too sweet. Which, I mean, definitely isn’t the worst thing to ever to happen to a pie.

PIE CRUST RECIPE:

ingredients– 

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
• 6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

directions– 

1. Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture.
2. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix.
3. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas.
4. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.
5. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
   Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn’t stick to the board.
6. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan.
7. Repeat with the top crust.

PEACH COBBLER RECIPE:

ingredients– 

• 3 pounds fresh peaches – peeled, pitted, and sliced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon white sugar

directions– 

1. In a large saucepan, mix the peaches, lemon juice, and orange juice. Add 1/2 cup butter, and cook over medium-low heat until butter is melted. In a mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cornstarch; mix into peach mixture. Remove from heat, and pour into baked crust.
2. Roll remaining dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Cut into half-inch-wide strips. Weave strips into a lattice over peaches. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top crust is golden brown.