I used ATK’s Fresh Peach Pie recipe, minus the nutmeg, and added a minced one-inch piece of fresh ginger to the peaches as they macerated. I also added 3/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger to the pectin/cinnamon/sugar mixture, and added a half cup of minced crystallized ginger to the filling at the end.

For the dough, I used a new-to-me pastry flour blend from King Arthur and mostly followed the recipe on the package (although I used 12T butter and 4T shortening rather than all butter, and replaced half the ice water with vodka). This recipe called for two tablespoons of buttermilk powder, which I haven’t used in dough before. I found the dough to be very nice to work with; it rolled out easily and without cracking. However during baking my fluted edges melted away and big chunks fell off completely. I wonder if it would have benefited from chilling longer in the fridge before going in the oven. I would also be curious to try this dough recipe for a single par-baked crust pie, which I think would give it a better chance at keeping its shape.

This pie turned out much spicier than I anticipated, due to the ginger. Raphael and I both agreed it was a little too much, although after another day the flavors mellowed out significantly. I think if I make it again, I would halve the crystallized ginger.

The crust tasted great and was very flaky, however I noticed that it became much softer by day two, which is not usually an issue for me. I’m guessing this is because of the pastry flour.