Peach Praline Pie

Peaches are still in abundance in the market and this wonderful Amish recipe makes excellent use of them. The brown sugar - pecan topping is lightly spiced with nutmeg and is sprinkled on the bottom of the crust, as well as over the pie, for a truly wonderful ending to any meal. The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, "New Recipes from Quilt Country" by Marcia Adams.

Blessings...

Recipe:

Pastry for a 1-crust 9-inch pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

4 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches, or 5 cups partially thawed and still crisp frozen peaches.

1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Praline Topping

1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed (I really like the dark brown sugar)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg (or ground)

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cold butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9" pie pan with the pastry and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the granulated sugar and tapioca. Add the peaches, lemon juice, extract, and lemon zest and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.

3. Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, pecans, nutmeg, and salt.

With a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Sprinkle one-third of the topping into the pastry shell and cover with the peach mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining topping.

4. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the juices in the middle of the pie begin to bubble and the peaches are tender when tested with a fork. Cover the crust after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. Cool completely on a rack before cutting.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
536 calories each for 6 servings
3 gms. fiber
402 calories each for 8 servings
2 gms. fiber