Peach Pie

Time About 1 hour 30 minutes Yield 8 servings

Danny Ghitis for The New York Times

You might be surprised to know that Linda Allard, the head of Ellen Tracy, is also known for her culinary skills. She even wrote a cookbook, ''Absolutely Delicious!'' from whence this recipe came. The crust calls for a combination of butter and lard which results in a superbly flaky crust, but if the idea of lard makes you bristle, all butter will work here too (you might need a bit more). Very little fuss is made over the peaches; just toss them with lemon juice, sugar and a scoop of flour to make it come together, then sprinkle with fresh nutmeg before topping with a blanket of dough. Bake until the juices bubble and peek through the golden crust. It's a simple and straightforward recipe, and the perfect showcase for ripe and juicy peaches.

view this recipe on NYTCooking.com

Ingredients

For the pastry:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
⅔ cup cold lard (Allard usually uses 3 tablespoons of butter as part of the lard)
¼ cup ice water

For the filling:

4 to 6 cups ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 to 1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup flour
Bit of freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation

Step 1
Mix the flour and the salt. Add the cold shortening in 2-inch pieces. Cut it into the flour until the mixture is crumbly. Squeeze a bit together (if it crumbles, add more shortening).
Step 2
Mix in ice water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, with a fork until the dough sticks together. Pat it together, but do not overhandle.
Step 3
Shape into 2 flattened discs. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
Step 4
Mix peaches with lemon juice. Add sugar and flour and mix.
Step 5
Roll out the first pastry disc and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Add filling. Grate nutmeg on top.
Step 6
Roll out second disc. Cut slits in a decorative pattern. Place on top of filling. Wet edges of bottom pastry with cold water. Trim pastry; pinch bottom and top edges together.
Step 7
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, turn down to 375 degrees and cook until peaches bubble and pastry is golden, about 45 minutes. Serve slightly warm with ice cream.

Adapted from Linda Allard's "Absolutely Delicious!"