Diane Kelly Bakes Easy-Peasy Peach Pie

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!

About Diane: A former tax advisor and assistant state attorney general, Diane Kelly is no stranger to white-collar crime. When she realized her experiences made great fodder for novels, her fingers hit the keyboard and thus began her award-winning Death and Taxes romantic mystery series. A dog lover and Citizens Police Academy graduate, Diane also writes the hilarious K-9 cop Paw Enforcement series. Her longtime love of vintage homes and renovation shows were a natural segue into her cozy mystery House Flipper books, which feature a fabulous feline. Find Diane online at www.DianeKelly.com, on Twitter and Instagram @DianeKellyBooks, and on her author page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DianeKellyBooks/.

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!

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