Maple's Mark Peach Pie

Directions

·       Decide to have fun because this is going to take time and use a lot of bowls.

·       Start by rolling out your already-chilled dough and fitting it into the deep-dish pie plate.  Trim and crimp the edges.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

·       If you haven’t already, toast the pecans.  I do this in a non-stick pan, stove top, stirring over a low heat. Set aside.

·       In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, cinnamon, salt and allspice.  Set aside.

·       In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, combine maple syrup, sugar, bourbon, and water.  Cook and stir just until the sugar dissolves.  Then let it come to a boil.  Resist the urge to stir and, instead, swirl the pan now and then so that the mixture is browning evenly.  (But don’t stir.)

·       Once it’s a more amber color, sort of a caramel, remove from heat and add the butter, again swirling the pan until the butter is completely melted.  Set aside.

·       Prep the peaches, peeling and slicing them (about 1/4” thick).  Stir into that first bowl with the cornstarch, flour, etc., to coat the peaches evenly.

·       Drizzle the caramel mixture over the peaches and stir gently to coat.  (Keep that pan handy.) Let this cool for a while, like down to room temp.  

·       Pour peaches into crust, spread evenly, and return all of that back to the refrigerator.

·       Using the same saucepan, melt the 6 T. Butter, stirring, over medium heat.  Cook until the butter turns golden brown.  Set aside to cool.

·       Whisk together the dry ingredients for the streusel.  Mix in the pecans.

·       Drizzle the melted butter into the streusel mixture and stir lightly to form crumbs.  Spread this all on a large plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

·       Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

·       Take a break.  

·       Remove the pie and the streusel from the refrigerator.  Assemble the parts by crumbling the crumbs over the top of the peaches, covering them completely.  (When done, this is where you get to lick your fingers if you care to.  Yum.)

·       Loosely cover the pie crust with foil.  Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Add a pie drip catcher (like a silicon sheet) to catch drips.  Add a crust protector as needed. Continue baking for another 40-50 minutes.  It should be bubbling, and the crust should be golden when it’s done.

·       REALLY:  Let it cool for at least 3 hours.  If you rush this and slice it sooner, you’ll have pie regrets because it will still be gooey and runny.  It needs time to mellow and set up.