I do a lot of online shopping. Maybe a little too much. It’s just so easy to order the things I want and need and have them arrive at my house in a surprisingly rapid fashion.
Paying for shipping just isn’t okay with me, though. More and more places offer free shipping, as well as free returns. Woo hoo! Some places still haven’t caught up with the rest of the world and make me pay for shipping. And then there are those sites where I have to spend a certain amount to get free shipping.
Maybe it’s $35, maybe its $55. Whatever it happens to be, I’ve somehow convinced myself that it’s better to think of more things to buy, than pay for shipping. More stuff is clearly better than wasting $10 or $12 on shipping, right? Have you ever found yourself doing this?
I never had an issue with Amazon, but they recently upped their free shipping threshold, so now I have to spend like half an hour searching for more things to buy. Not a problem on Amazon, where pretty much anything is available, but somehow when I need to think of something to buy, my mind goes blank. And I just sit and stare at the search box, trying to think of movies I want to add to my collection.
Obviously, I’m playing into exactly what these companies want me to do. I’m spending more money so that I get the free shipping. I get it. And I’m kind of okay with it. When else can I rationalize spending more money for stuff I don’t need so easily???
But what I do need is this pie. The End of Summer Peach and Plum Pie. I’m still buying peaches and plums like a crazy woman. They’re just too good to give up. The peaches are still juicy and taste like summer. The plums are a little crunchy and are transitioning me into fall with their purple skin. Together the flavors and textures of the peaches and plums play perfectly. So do the colors. I peeled the peaches and left the skin on the plums. Feel free to peel both or neither – it’s up to you!
Of course, they pair really well with a little butter, sugar, bourbon, and the flakiest crust with a crunchy, golden brown, sugar encrusted top. You’ll never want to say good-bye to summer after one taste of this pie either!
End of Summer Peach and Plum Pie
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 4–5 tablespoons cold water
Filling
- 5 cups peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced in ¼ inch thick slices
- 2 cups plums, pitted and sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
- ½ cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for topping
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream, for topping
Instructions
- Make the crust. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add shortening and butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add 4 tablespoons of water and pulse to combine. Squeeze some of the dough together and see if it holds. If it does, the dough is good to go, if not, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it holds together. Pour the dough onto plastic wrap, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Once the crust has chilled, divide it in half. Roll half of it on a floured surface so that it fits your pie pan. Place it in the pan. Roll the other half so that it is slightly larger than your pie pan. Once rolled, fold it gently and carefully place it in the pie pan. Return to the refrigerator while you make the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Make the filling. In a large bowl, stir together the peaches, plums, brown sugar, bourbon, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Remove the crust from the refrigerator. Set the top crust aside. Spoon the filling into the pie pan, leaving as much juice behind as possible. Do not add much juice or the pie will be soupy! Dot the top of the filling with the 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Place the top crust over the filling and crimp the edges tightly shut with your fingers. Brush the top with the milk and sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Place pie on a foil covered baking sheet to catch any drips (and it will drip!).
- Bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F without opening the oven. Bake for about an additional hour, rotating halfway through if necessary, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling vigorously. Cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving. Pie may be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or in the freezer, wrapped in quarters in foil and parchment and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in a 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.
Notes
Additional chilling time is necessary
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
I refuse to say goodbye to summer and just want to stick my face into this pie! LOL
Me too! Summer can’t end!
I do too hate, and I mean HATE, to pay shipping….it’s like paying bank fees which I also really hate. Why when I am saving the bank money by not going into their branch do they charge me to get cash from the ATM?!? Anyway, I certainly love looking at this wonderful pie! I’m sure it is wonderful!
Fees are the worst! Thanks, Debbie!
I love the peach and plum in my sweets in any season. I keep them in my freezer. Although I like the autumn I will miss the mild summer! Certainly this wonderful pie will make us taste the summer again.
kisses
I keep them in my freezer too! I am already missing summer 🙁