
Please help us welcome Diane Kelly to Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. Diane writes the House-Flipper Mysteries and loves desserts! She's giving away TWO books, a pair of fun sunglasses, and an adorable stuffed kitty named Sawdust! Don't miss her fantastic giveaway at the end of this post.
Hello,
Readers and Cooks!
Desserts
are my favorite thing to prepare in the kitchen, because they often represent a
special occasion or celebration and I’m always up for some fun! I took a cake
decorating class years ago, and have since made all kinds of cakes and
cupcakes, ranging from Scooby Doo to Picachu to Texas bluebonnets. I could
never seem to master the art of making roses, though. My hands and the frosting
bag refused to cooperate with each other. But if you want a cute clown sitting
cross-legged on your cupcake, I’m your gal.With my love of desserts, it’s no
wonder my books include such titles as Death,
Taxes, and a Chocolate Cannoli and Death,
Taxes, and Pecan Pie.
My recent
release Dead in the Doorway involves
a beloved peach pie recipe that appears to be lost when the only woman who knows
its secret ingredients passes away without passing on the recipe. But is this
to-die-for pie lost forever, or will her friends on Songbird Circle be able to
resurrect the recipe? And just how and why did one of the neighborhood women
end up dead in the doorway of the house that carpenter Whitney Whitaker plans
to flip?
While
performing research for this book, I learned some interesting facts. The first
was that nectarines are technically a type of peach. They’re just a balder type
with no fuzz. Who knew? I also learned that although Georgia is known for
peaches, its northern neighbor South Carolina far surpasses it in peach
production. In fact, I had the best peaches I ever ate while visiting a writer
friend in Columbia, SC. They are called “Flavor Rich” peaches, and are one of
the earliest varieties available each year.
This peach
pie recipe is super easy and versatile, vegan, and includes some unusual
ingredients that I tossed in for fun when writing the book. I hope that you’ll
enjoy it as much as my family did!
Easy-Peasy Peach Pie
Ingredients
for crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup (4 tablespoons) vegan butter
(Earth Balance brand works great!)
1/2
cup (4 tablespoons) vegetable shortening
8 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon brown sugar (for
sprinkling over crust)
1
tablespoon coarse or granulated sugar (for sprinkling over crust)
Ingredients
for filling:
5-6 nectarines (fresh, frozen, or
canned peaches can be substituted)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½
cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Chill butter
and shortening before starting. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in food processor by
pulsing a few times or mix by hand in a large bowl with a spoon. Add the
chilled butter and shortening. Pulse several times if using a food processor
or, if making by hand, use pastry tool to combine the ingredients. The dough
will look coarse at this point. Drizzle in the ice water while the processor is
running, or drizzle it in while using pastry tool to mix dough by hand. Once
dough begins to clump, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and shape it
into two separate balls. Roll each ball with a rolling pin until you have a
12-inch circle. Transfer one of the shells to a pie dish and gently press it
into the dish.
To prepare
the filling, first wash, peel, and slice the nectarines. Mix the sliced
nectarines with the other filling ingredients in a large bowl, then spoon the
filling into the shell.
Using a
pizza cutter or knife, cut the second pie crust into 3/4-inch strips. Lay five
strips vertically across the filling. As you add the horizontal strips,
alternate gently pulling back strips 1, 3, and 5 and strips 2 and 4 as you
weave in the cross strips. (For a visual primer on how to weave the lattice
top, check out this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKPbLXhAHbc)
Trim off
the excess crust and pinch the edges together for a nice look. Lightly sprinkle
both brown and granulated (or coarse) sugar over the top of the crust. Bake pie
at 425 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is brown and juice
bubbles through the lattice.
Enjoy!

Giveaway:
I’ll be giving away a copy of both books in my House Flipper series, which
includes Dead as a Door Knocker and Dead in the Doorway, along with a pair
of promotional sunglasses and a plush “Sawdust” (the cat from the series).
Limited to US and Canada addresses. Good luck!
Leave a comment with your email address to enter!
I had no idea that nectarines were just bald peaches!
ReplyDeletepatdupuy@yahoo.com
It was news to me, too! Bald or fuzzy, I love peaches.
DeletePeach pie is my favorite pie. Thanks for an unusual recipe. suefoster109 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it! I'm a big ginger fan, so if you are, too, you might enjoy the ginger taste of it.
DeleteThank you for the recipe for Easy-Peasy Peach Pie. It sounds yummy! The addition of the maple syrup sounds intriguing making me add this recipe to my list of recipes to definitely try. The mention of nectarines brought back memories of when my Dad was stationed in California were so many fresh fruits were readily available. Now living in the south where they are hard to come by and when you do find them they aren't really fit to eat, I will be using fresh off the tree peaches.
ReplyDelete"Dead in the Doorway" sounds like a fabulous book. It is most definitely on my TBR list. Since I've not had the opportunity to read "Dead as a Door Knocker" either, you're most generous giveaway will give one very fortunate winners the opportunity to read them both.
Shared everywhere and hoping to be that very fortunate one selected. Thanks for the chance! <3
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thanks for sharing, Kay! We lived in California in the early 90's and the house we were renting had all kinds of fruit trees in the backyard. I loved it! We could just walk out back and pick a plum or apricot or orange. Only got cherries one out of the three years we lived there. Not sure why. They were there and gone in two days. Maybe the birds got them.
DeleteThis sounds like a wonderful series. Thanks for the giveaway. Your pie sure looks prettier than the pie I made last week. But I told my hubby that it may not look nice but it sure is tasty. We may have to try peach pie next time. Thanks for the recipe. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteWhile it's wonderful when something both looks good and tastes good, taste is definitely more important than appearance. I bet your not-so-pretty pie was yummy!
DeletePeach pie is one of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteBkeakney750 at Yahoo dot com
Me, too! I'm also partial to blueberry.
DeleteThanks for the yummy pie recipe. Looks delicious! And thanks for a chance to win your books. I love a good cozy mystery.
ReplyDeletevalleyreader(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks, Darcy! Your cat is a cutie.
DeleteI love cats and mystery books with cats in them. Thank you for the chance
ReplyDeletejenkat98@gmail.com
Cats and mysteries are a perfect combination since cats are so curious. They are furry little sleuths!
DeleteMy mom just got a bunch of peaches and this will give us a good way to eat them.
ReplyDeleteKitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net
This looks delicious and I love the book cover! What a fun and generous giveaway. Thank you so much for the chance!
ReplyDeletetami.norman@gmail.com
The covers are adorable, aren't they? The artists do such a good job!
DeletePeaches are my favorite Fruit! Will have to try and make this pie! lol I have not read your series....but would LOVE TO !
ReplyDeleteMain3(at)att(dot)net Debbie M.��
Peaches are my favorite, too! Followed very closely by blueberries. I like blackberries, too. Good luck!
DeleteI love peach pie and using canned peaches means I can make it all year round. Looking forward to reading your series and enjoying the sweet delights!
ReplyDeletesharonquiltsatyahoo.com
Definitely! Canned peaches are a way to make the pie much faster, too, and it's still very yummy.
DeleteThe peach pie looks delectable and perfect for the summer. Love your series. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice summer treat. I've been known to eat pie for breakfast, too. Anyone else? ha ha I figure it's very similar to a fruit danish or fruit-topped waffle, right?
DeletePeach pie is always a treat and wonderful for the family to enjoy. Thanks for your lovely giveaway. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteYep, peach pie is something everyone can agree on!
DeleteThis series sounds amazing. I love peaches when they are in season, and now I can enjoy them year round in pie! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLisacobblestone(at)aol(dot)com
Fresh peaches are heaven! But canned are great substitutes. I always liked to take canned peaches in my lunchbox when I was young. It was such a treat at lunchtime.
DeleteWas this a test to see if we'd actually read what you wrote? Hence the "peach" pie recipe that calls for nectarines, not peaches. But now we know they are, in fact, both peaches.
ReplyDeletelibbydodd at comcast dot net
Haha! No tricks intended. I learned about nectarines being peaches as I researched for the book. I was surprised to learn it, and thought it would make an interesting little factoid to include in the story. I always like it when I learn something new while doing research for my books.
DeleteThanks for the yummy recipe. I put this book series on my must read list. Who doesn't love a good murder and pie recipe.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nancy! I agree. A good murder mystery and a nice slice of pie always fit the bill!
DeleteYour books are all so amazing. I just borrowed these and would love to have a copy of my own. I really like how you give the animals point of view, both in this series and the K-9 series. Sawdust sounds so sweet.
ReplyDeletekozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com
I love writing the animal chapters. We've had some really sweet male cats over the years, and Sawdust is sort of an amalgamation of them. Our female cats have tended to be feistier.
DeleteI have a female. I believe it. ;)
DeleteThe peach pie looks delicious! I love anything with peaches. Thanks for the chance! cking78503(at)aol(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMe, too! I'm a peach freak.
DeleteI enjoy learning about authors I like. Informative post! Also, love book covers with cats on them! I like when they are a sidekick in cozies! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMe, too! Cats make great sidekicks. Their inquisitive natures are perfect in mysteries!
DeleteYUM!! I love peach pie! Hopefully I will get some good peaches from my peach tree this summer!
ReplyDeletenjcar22(at)aol(dot)com
Mine had a bunch of tiny peaches on it . . . and then the deer ate them! Argh! Hope you get a bumper crop.
DeleteI love to bake! Peach Pie sounds yummy!! I didn't know nectarines were bald peaches. You learn something new everyday! I'm still working on the Tara Holloway Series. :) moviehoge@yahoo.com
ReplyDelete