Wednesday, December 26, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 52

THICK AND CHEWY TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

I''m pretty sure if I wouldn't have been completely hypoglycemic from eating all my stocking candy in two days that I would have loved these cookies.  They were rich and chewy and everything you would expect in a thick and chewy triple chocolate cookie!  I'm sure I will be craving these in a couple of weeks when I'm back on WW's!  Thanks, Janet, for a great recipe to end with!  You can get the recipe at Janet's blog HERE.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

BAKE 52

ALMOND BISCOTTI
I actually made a round version of these last week when I forgot to time my cookies.  The difference between those and the biscotti I made today is biscotti is supposed to be crisp.  Plus, the burnt cookies tasted, well, burnt, and they didn't soften up in milk.
The biscotti, however, had a great mild flavor and a crisp texture expected with biscotti.  I went for the chocolate chip version and it was wonderful dunked in hazel nut hot chocolate.  It softened up just right when soaked in the hot chocolate without getting soggy, doughy, or falling apart.
Thanks, Emiy, for picking a recipe I could use my cute tea cups with!  You can get the recipe at Emily's blog, HERE.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

BAKE 52

GLAZED CHOCOLATE CREAM ROLL

This week's pick was a great one for the holidays and since I have a party this weekend I had every intention of freezing this roll and taking it to the party.  The only problem was every kid wanted a taste and decided they loved it (not the problem), but now I need to bake another one, which, as I think about it, really isn't a problem either.  However, I wanted to love this roll too, but I only liked it.  Maybe that's the problem?  Hmm, anyway, here's my break down on the glazed chocolate cream roll:

What I didn't love:  Cake rolls in general are spongy due to all the eggs in the batter that help it not brake when being rolled.  This one was no different and I'm not fond of the spongy texture.  

What I loved:  The marshmallow filling!  Hello, did anyone else eat spoonfuls of it first?!  It was so good! Spoonfuls good! I also love the look of cake rolls--very festive and yet easy.

What I changed:  Every time a recipe has called for bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate, I have always thought it a bit too bitter.  So this time I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of the bittersweet chocolate.  It was a subtle change but just enough for me. 

What I will change next time:  Double that filling!  It was too thinly spread for my liking (even if it would have had those extra spoonfuls that I ate:)), I wanted more cream in my bite.  Also, was greasing the sheet pointless to anyone else?

Thanks, Michelle, for picking a great recipe that I can take to my family party this weekend!  You can get the recipe (and a gluten-free version) at Michelle's blog,  HERE



Wednesday, December 5, 2012

BAKE 52

LARGE DANISH BRAID


Yummy, right?!  Flaky, sweet, buttery deliciousness--that pretty much sums up this pastry.  I went with a cream cheese and raspberry filling that i loved as well.

Now, I'm going to be totally honest, I cheated!  I just didn't have the patience today to wait the hours in between rolling and folding, rolling and folding, rolling and folding (even just typing that out was laborious)--so I didn't!  I just rolled and folded one right after the other and skipped chilling.  And guess what?  It worked!  I even forgot to let it rise, but I still had plenty of flakiness plus the rest of my day.  Wahoo!  There was only one down fall; by the last roll out before I put the filling on, the dough was getting sticky which made braiding kinda tricky.  Some of the braids broke and I had to piece them back together.

So, it wasn't the prettiest braid, but it was the price I was willing to pay today.
Jennifer was our host this week and you can get the recipe from her blog, HERE.  

Thursday, November 29, 2012

BAKE 52

BEST BUTTERMILK BISCUITS 

I'm still not sure if these were the best, but they were pretty dang close.  I loved the flavor and how much they puffed up.  They went great with our Tuna Helper (what can I say, my kids like the stuff) dinner and  even better then next morning turned into a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit.  Get the recipe over at Betsy's blog HERE.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

BAKE 52

SWEET POTATO PIE
Has anyone else had Alabama's Song of the South playing in their head all week?!  Sweet potato pie and I shut my mouth. Then opened it and put more pie in...again and again. 
I can't even express how surprised I am that I liked this pie!  I picked this recipe purely for my husband who loves sweet potatoes.  They make me shiver.  But I wanted to try something new and I figured it couldn't be all bad if there was a song about it.  And I was right!
Aside from my Texture-Sensitivity Disorder, I really, really liked this pie!  It had a distinct, fresh taste with just the right amount of spices.  And I loved the brown sugar on the crust!  Not overwhelming, but an extra bit of sweetness at the bottom of the pie. Mmm!  I'm suppose to bring orange rolls to Thanksgiving dinner, but I think I'm going to bake another sweet potato pie to take along as well--it deserves appreciation from the masses. 
I hope everyone else had a good experience with this pie, and if not, well, hopefully you can find something on your Thanksgiving table to make up for it!  Happy Thanksgiving!

SWEET POTATO PIE

1 recipe single-crust pie dough, fitted into a 9-inch plate and chilled (I always use my mom's homemade pie dough recipe, but you can use Easiest Ever Press-In Single-Crust Pie Dough on p. 363 or Traditional Single-Crust Pie Dough on p. 362).

FILLING

2 pounds (about 3) sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks 
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons bourbon*
1 tablespoon light molasses** (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole milk
1/4 cup packed (1 3/4 ounces) dark brown sugar

*  I substituted 2 teaspoons of vanilla for the bourbon
**Since this was optional I played it safe and only used 1/2 tablespoon.

1.  Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 37 degrees.  Following the photos on page 363, line the chilled crust with a double layer of foil and fill with pie weights.  Bake until the pie dough looks dry and is light in color, 25 to 30 minutes.   Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack and remove the weights and foil.  Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. (The crust must still be warm when the filling is added.)

2.  FOR THE FILLING:  While the crust bakes, prick the sweet potatoes several times with a fork and arrange over several layers of paper towels in the microwave.  Microwave at full power for 5 minutes.  Turn each potato over and continue to microwave until tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes longer.  Let the potatoes cool slightly.

3.  Working with one potato at a time, slice it in half and scrape the cooked flesh into a large bowl using a soup spoon (you should have about 2 cups).  Discard the skins.  Mash the butter into the potatoes until just a few small potato lumps remain.


4.  In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, nutmeg, and salt together.  Stir in the bourbon, molasses (if using), and vanilla, then whisk in the milk.  Gradually stir the egg mixture into the mashed sweet potatoes until smooth and combined.

5. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the warm pie crust, then spread the sweet potato mixture evenly over the top.  Bake the pie until the filling is set around the edges but the center jiggles slightly when shaken, about 45 minutes  Let the pie cool on a wire rack until the filling has set, about 2 hours; serve slightly warm or at room temperature
  
TO MAKE AHEAD
  The pie dough can be made ahead.  Once baked and cooled, the pie can be covered loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 day.  Let the pie come to room temperature before serving or, to serve warm, reheat the pie in a 300-degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

BAKE 52

SPICED PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

AND

RED VELVET LAYER CAKE


Okay, here's the thing.  You know how I've been having camera issues?  Well I couldn't get my pictures to download last week, so I COMPLETELY forgot about posting last weeks recipe!  So here's the scoop on the red velvet layer cake:
LOVED IT!  Actually, I fell in love with the cake and the frosting.  I think I have a new favorite cream cheese frosting now!  It was so, so, good.  I could have eaten the whole bowl of frosting.   Combine that with the cake and it was just dangerous all around.  Janet was the host for last week and you can get the recipe HERE.

On to the cheesecake:
Like I've said before, I could bake the rest of the year with pumpkin recipes, and since I have never tried pumpkin cheesecake before, I was all for this one.  Aside from my texture issues, I loved the flavor and crust.  I must admit, I can be a lazy baker and cheesecake is time consuming, but for the sake of fall, Thanksgiving, or just delicious-smelling kitchens, go bake some spiced pumpkin cheesecake.  Amanda was our host and you can get the recipe at her blog HERE.


Wednesday, October 31, 2012

BAKE 52

APPLE DUMPLINGS

Uhhh...Talesha, your picture is blurry and where are the dumplings?  
Good question. 
First, my camera broke and so now I get to use my cell phone to take pictures.  Lovely.  
Second, you know when your just to lazy to check what the recipe for the week is so you ask your friend and she tells you it's apple turnovers and then you guys realize you could use that recipe to serve at book club and get all crazy with fun Halloween recipes and turn the apple turnovers into bloody intestines?
  Good, then you know what happened to my dumplings! 
I still want to try the apple dumplings, but I must say, those intestines were delicious!  And they looked really cool too!  (See Michelle's blog for a much better picture). 
Check out Emily's blog for the apple dumplings recipe.  They are so cute and look scrumptious! 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

BAKE 52

CREME CARAMEL

Creme caramel sounds much better than plain old custard, but that's pretty much what this is.   Except with caramel, but I didn't think it improved the flavor any.  I'm not a custard fan due to texture, look, and taste, and after this recipe, I'm still not.  However, it was a really cool process with the caramel because it set up like a hard sucker on the bottom of the ramekin, but after baking it seeped into the custard so that when you turned the custard out it had a beautiful dark golden color on top that was just as soft as the custard.  It also left a liquid caramel that drizzled over the surface, but I didn't love the taste of it (which is weird because I love caramel).
     Oh, and one more thing about the caramel.  When a recipe says to be careful handling the caramel because it gets extremely hot--heed the caution.  Otherwise, you end up with a beautiful blister like this:(
     If you like custards, give this a try, and if you don't, it's still fun to make and you can take it to a neighbor.
 Michelle was our host this week and you can get the recipe over at her blog HERE.


Wednesday, October 17, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 42

OATMEAL SCONES


This was the first time for me making "real" scones.  The "fake" scones I make for dinner are more of an Indian fry-bread, but I was raised calling them scones and scones they will always be.  These "real" scones reminded me of biscuits and they are just as easy and simple to make.  I usually borrow a food processor since I don't have one (gasp, I know!), but I just made it with my handy dandy KitchenAid and they turned out fine.  I thought they would be dense and heavy, but they were actually very soft inside and very filling.  I served them for lunch with honey and jam and a big glass of milk.
Overall, I thought them quite lovely to photograph and fun for a change, but it's not something I think I will be craving.  Jennifer O. was our host this week and you can get the recipe at her blog, HERE.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 41

PUMPKIN SHEET CAKE


I'm so glad my fellow bakers are liking pumpkin right now too!  I seriously think I could finish off the year with a pumpkin recipe each week--given the book had that many pumpkin recipes and I supplemented with chocolate on even days:)
Needless to say, I loved the pumpkin sheet cake.  The cake was light and moist and the cream cheese frosting was smooth and tangy.  I thought 3 cups of frosting was a bit much so I cut the recipe in half and that was perfect.  Also, I don't know about anyone else, but sheet cake to me means baking in a big ol' cookie sheet not a regular 13 by 9-inch baking pan, so that's what I did--and I ain't even Texan.  We had lots of yummy cake all day long and you could have seconds without the guilt (thirds and fourths didn't feel bad either!).  Betsy was our host this week and you can get the recipe at her blog, HERE.


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 39

SPICED PUMPKIN BREAD


The only good thing about summer ending is the beginning of fall!  Not the middle or end, just the the beginning, when the days are still warm and the mornings and evenings are comfortable in a sweater.  When I can bring out the candle scents I've been craving since last fall.  When the sun light is softer and the house is quieter and I feel like baking every scent I'm burning.
  No other season brings out the baker in me like fall (although every season requires a good amount of baking!).  So what better kick-off to this season than a yummy spiced pumpkin bread?  And since I really felt like celebrating, I took the bread and my family on a picnic dinner in the mountains.  We were at Sundance, surrounded by the beauty of fall leaves, but it was the pumpkin bread that all eyes were on for the few minutes of its delicious existence.  We (even the fussies) absolutely loved this bread! This will be my go-to recipe now for pumpkin bread.  
I loved how much actual pumpkin was in the loaf and that it was moist without being sticky, which sometimes happens with pumpkin bread.  I omitted the nuts and cranberries since I'm not a huge fan of either, and threw in some mini chocolate chips instead.  Chocolate really is a must in pumpkin bread for me, but I think this bread would have been delicious plain too.  This bread just might become a staple this fall for my family.  
Even if you have a recipe you love, give this one chance!

SPICED PUMPKIN BREAD (p. 50)

Makes one 8-inch loaf

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 taspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (unsweetened)
1 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (4 ounces) pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse
1cup (5 ounces) dried cranberries (optional)

1.  Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch pan.

2.  Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger together in a large bowl.  
In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, sugar, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth.  Gently fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not overmix).  Gently fold in the pecans and cranberries (if using).  The batter will be very thick.


3.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

4.  Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn our onto a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving.





Wednesday, September 19, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 38

Make Ahead French Toast Casserole


I love a breakfast dish that I can make the night before and throw in the oven the next morning.   So, I was excited to try the Make Ahead French Toast Casserole, hoping to add a new recipe to my breakfast casseroles.
Unfortunately, this recipe did not make the cut.  The name sounds yummy, the taste not so much.  It was more of a quiche than anything, and even though I mostly like quiches, I don't when they try to pass off as french toast.
I'm not really sure what I was expecting, something amazing I guess.  Even the buttery brown sugar topping didn't do much for me.  The whole thing was bland and yet, oddly enough, too heavy and rich (if that can even happen) and too many calories to even justify (and I am the queen of justifying calories).     
It's always fun to try new things, though, and find what works for your family.  Valerie was our host this week and you can get the recipe at her blog, HERE.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 37

DEEP DISH PIZZA

How can carbs be the enemy when they taste this good?!  And how can homemade pizza taste this good?  I never, EVER thought I would love a homemade pizza crust--ever!  But I really did love this one; it was soft and crispy and tasted just like "real" pizza.  I'm still searching for a great pizza sauce, though.  I don't love the one used in this recipe, but I'm happy to keep making this pizza in search of the right sauce.  It was really simple to make also.  Amanda was our host this week and you can get the recipe at her blog HERE.



Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Bake 52: WEEK 36

TUNNEL OF FUDGE CAKE


Doesn't the name Tunnel of Fudge make you think of Tunnel of Love?  And really, that's what this cake is; a tunnel of everything you love about chocolate.  It has a rich, gooey core surrounded by moist chocolate-y cake and drizzled with a semi-sweet chocolate glaze.  A love affair waiting to happen.  
Except, I totally messed up the recipe by mixing ingredients the wrong way.  I mixed the melted chocolate mixture right into the powdered sugar mixture.  Immediately, I realized something was wrong.  It was all dry and clumpy.  I reread the directions and, sure enough, I had done it wrong!  I should have taken a picture of the final batter; it was a lumpy mess.  I guess that's what happens when you're having fun baking (and talking too much) with a friend!  Somehow (I really, REALLY don't know how) it still turned out, maybe not as runny as some others, but still really gooey and delicious!  It made me love this cake all the more.  So if you want a super fabulous cake that looks fancy and tastes incredible and one you can't screw up, this is it!  Janet was our host and you can get the recipe HERE.



P.S.  I'm not even going to admit how much of this cake I ate myself!


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 35

CRUNCHY GRANOLA BARS

 First, don't hate me because of the picture.  I tried to be artistic, I even threw a pencil in a picture or two (trying to capture the back-to-school feeling these bars conveyed, I was feeling it, man!).  It didn't work, I don't know why I'm balancing cookies on top of a glass.  Maybe I'm still a little giddy about the kids being back in school and feeling like "good mom" today for having these crunchy granola bar on the table when they walked through the door.  Or maybe it was the sugar rush from eating the rest of the bag of M&M's. Regardless,  the pictures suck, but the bars didn't, much.  Here's what I have to say about them:
They taste exactly like their name!  I wasn't overly impressed with them, but they were easy and kinda healthy and I have lots of ideas for making them better.  I think I'll number them.
1.  Next time I will not cook for full recommended time, I felt like they were a little overdone.  I thought I was making them better with the M&M's, but the chocolate actually burnt and gave the bars that slightly burnt chocolate taste. Blah.
2.  Instead of cutting them into bars, I'd break them into chunks,
3.  And add M&M's, raisins, something salty like peanuts or cashews, and maybe another dried fruit.
4.  The end result:  a slightly glorified trail mix.
5.  Okay, this numbering thing is not working for me, I should keep my creativity to baking.  Do you' feel like y-our "reaDing a sequel to Flowers for Algernon?!.

Try this recipe, if for nothing else but to say you've made granola bars. Crunchy granola bars!  Emily was our host this week and you can get the recipe at her blog HERE.


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 34

GLAZED LEMON COOKIES

   I love lemons, I love cookies.  So why have I never made these before?  Just another one of the reasons I love this baking group!  And this one is simple and easy.  You can get the recipe at Michelle's blog, HERE.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 32

RASPBERRY STREUSEL BARS


Another great summer recipe and one of those that I can't believe I haven't made before!  I really can't get enough of the summer fruit! It was simple to make and smelled delish baking.  Jennifer was our host this week and you can the recipe at her blog HERE.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 31

CHEDDAR CHEESE BREAD


This was simply a great cheese bread that I will make again.  I loved the Parmesan cheese on top and bottom, it really did give it a blast of flavor.  The only thing I would have to disagree with the recipe is it said to resist the urge to slice the bread while it is piping hot.  Supposedly the texture of the bread improves while it cools. But, since I strongly believe that the only way to eat bread is piping hot out of the oven, that's exactly what I did.  And with no regrets.  Because it was really, really good! Period.
Betsy was our host this week and you can get the recipe at her blog HERE. 

.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 30

MONKEY BREAD

I have been wanting to make monkey bread forever, but, (much like my Pinterest boards) it's a good idea that I've never got around to.  Until now, and man!  I've been missing out!  This was so, so, SO good!  It was like the best part of a cinnamon roll--that middle part that's soft and gooey with all the right stuff.  My husband, who can control himself with any kind of dessert, couldn't stop eating these.  And even the pickiest of my picky eaters (i have a few) loved this.  It was a great recipe to have the kids help with as well.  They were excited to make a treat with "monkey" in the name, plus it involved making balls out of dough and playing in butter and sugar.  This just may become a staple at my house.
The top (which was the bottom) was really, just something special.  A glazed crown of caramelized sugar, sticky and sweet.  Heavenly.
This is what happens when I bake with my monkeys:)
And while the pieces under it were wonderful too, I think next time I will make extra cinnamon sugar and pour a little more butter and sugar mixture in between layers.  Ooh, and under.  And over and around.  Try and get some more of that beautiful caramelization going.  Also, I want to make my super yummy cinnamon roll cream cheese frosting and really slather that stuff on top before I turn the pan over.  That way the bottom is special too.   

Ahh...I could go on and on about how great these were, how much more I like making these than cinnamon rolls, how much the kids loved pulling them apart and eating them, how much I really want to make another batch today because we ate it all yesterday...
Thank you, Jenn, for hosting this week!  You can get this fabulous recipe from Jenn's blog, HERE.




Wednesday, July 25, 2012

BAKE 52: WEEK 29

LATTICE-TOP PEACH PIE

It's my turn to host this week and I wanted something fresh and summery, so I went for the lattice-top peach pie.  I love using fruits in their season and summer has so many great ones to choose from that I was tempted to toss some raspberries in with the peaches, but since I'm hosting I decided to stick to the recipe.  I'm excited to see if anyone in the group mixed it up.  
I should get right to the recipe, but since I am the host, I'm going to first shamelessly brag about who I met this week and had autograph a ladle.  A soup ladle.  And he is a famous soup Chef--and he plays one on T.V.  Have you guessed yet?  If not, I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats...





Here's the ladle...

Can you read it?  It say's, "No Soup for You!".  Yes, my claim to fame is through the Soup Nazi.  How cool is that?!


And here is a picture of me and my family with him...

I was shocked, SHOCKED I say, to find out as I went about bragging this week, that many a younger folk do not know who the Soup Nazi is!  Please, be shaking you head too.  It is a shame.  I went from cool to old in a matter of days.  Thank goodness for pie!  Pie is for the young and old, cool and those who thought they were cool.  


And this pie was totally cool and fun to make!  I didn't have a fluted pastry wheel to cut the edges of the lattice strips, so I experimented on ways to cut the dough to still make it fancy.  I used Play-Doh rollers and different paper cutter blades until I found a winner with the wavy removable blade.  It had a hole in the middle so I fit (fitted?) it onto a chopstick and rolled the edges of my lattice strips with it for a prettier look.  
The pie baked up lovely and was delicious!  I served it warm with vanilla ice cream.  I hope you all enjoyed this recipe!

LATTICE-TOP PEACH PIE

1 recipe double-crust pie dough
There were a few pie crusts to choose from, but I went with the All-Butter Double-Crust Pie Dough (p.359). 

(I cheated here; we've done this crust before so I went to Valerie's blog a copied and pasted her recipe.  Thanks, Valerie!)

All-Butter Double Crust Pie Dough
1/3 cup ice water
3 T sour cream
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2oz) all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
1 tsp. salt
16 T (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and frozen for 10 to 15 minutes.

Mix 1/3 cup of the ice water and sour cream together in small bowl until combined. Process the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined. Scatter the b utter pieces over the top and pulse the mixture until the butter is the size of large peas, about 10 pulses.

Pour half of the sour cream mixture over the flour mixture and pulse until incorporated, about 3 pulses. Repeat with the remaining sour cream mixture. Pinch the dough with your fingers; if the dough feels dry and does not hold together, sprinkle 1 to 2 T more ice water over the mixture and pulse until the dough forms large clumps and no dry flour remains, 3 to 5 pulses

Divide the dough into 2 even pieces. Turn each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling the dough out, let it sit on the counter to soften slightly, about 10 min.

For Pie Filling:

2 1/2 pounds (5-7) peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced 1/3 inch thick (Freestone peaches are recommended because the pits are more easily removed)
1-1 1/4  cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Directions:

1.  Roll one disk of dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured counter, then fit it into a 9-inch pie plate, letting the excess dough hang over the edge; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2.  Roll the other disk of dough into a 13 1/2 by 10 1/2-inch rectangle, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Trim the dough to a 13 by 10-inch rectangle with straight edges, and following the photos on page 379, slice it lengthwise into eight 13inch-long strips.  Separate the strips slightly, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until very firm, about 30minutes.

3.  Toss the peaches and 1 cup of the sugar together in a large bowl and let sit, tossing occasionally, until the peaches release their juice, about 1 hour. (Add up to 4 more tablespoons of sugar if the peaches taste tart.)  Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 425 degrees.


4.  Drain the peaches thoroughly through a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice.  In a large bowl, toss the drained fruit, 1/4 cup reserved juice, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt together until well combined.

5.  Spread the peaches into the dough-lined pie plate and weave the chilled strips of dough over the top into a lattice.  Let the strips soften for 5 to 10 minutes, then trim, fold, and crimp the edges.  Lightly brush the lattice with the egg white and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.


6.  Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees, rotate the baking sheet, and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes longer.  Let the pie cool on a wire rack until the filling has set, about 2 hours; serve slightly warm or at room temperature.