Experience the quintessential taste of summer with this exquisite Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie, a beloved recipe inspired by the culinary artistry of Martha Stewart. This dessert isn’t just a treat; it’s a celebration of seasonal perfection, bringing together the succulent sweetness of fresh peaches with the sophisticated tang of crème fraîche, all nestled within a tender, flaky pastry crust and crowned with a delightful crumb topping. Baked to a golden hue, each slice promises a symphony of juicy, soft fruit and creamy richness, embodying pure summer bliss.
This haute yet humble peach pie masterfully blends tradition with delightful innovation. While drawing on classic pie-making techniques, it introduces a subtle twist by bathing ripe peaches in crème fraîche instead of conventional cream. Crème fraîche, with its characteristic slight tartness, offers an ideal counterpoint to the inherent sweetness of the stone fruits, preventing the pie from being overly sugary. As it bakes, the thick, luxurious crème fraîche transforms into a delicate, custard-like layer, providing a wonderfully smooth texture that perfectly contrasts with the crisp, golden crumb topping and the tender pastry crust. It’s truly summer reimagined on a plate, a sentiment echoed by the discerning editors of Martha Stewart Living.
The Ultimate Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie Guide
Crafting the perfect Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie begins with understanding its core components. Here, we delve into frequently asked questions to ensure your baking journey is as smooth and delightful as the pie itself.
The secret to an exceptionally flavorful peach pie lies in the quality and ripeness of the peaches you choose. The difference truly is substantial. When at the market, look for peaches that show no traces of green; a warm, golden-yellow or reddish blush is ideal. Gently cast aside any stone fruits that bear noticeable bruises or soft spots, as these can impact the pie’s texture and appearance. The best way to gauge ripeness is to gently cup the fruit in your hand and take a sniff – a sweet, intoxicating perfume should emanate, signaling its peak flavor. If you must, a very slight, gentle squeeze should yield just a little, indicating juiciness without being overly soft or mushy. Avoid prodding with your fingertips, which can cause bruising. Peaches, once picked, don’t get sweeter, only softer, so choosing truly ripe fruit is paramount. For this pie, you can choose to peel your peaches for a smoother texture or leave the skins on for a rustic, vibrant appearance and a slight textural contrast, as many of our testers enjoyed.
Crème fraîche (pronounced “krem fresh”) is a sophisticated French cultured dairy product, often likened to sour cream but with distinct differences that make it uniquely suited for baking. It boasts a higher fat content than sour cream, typically ranging from 30% to 45%, which gives it a wonderfully rich, thick consistency and a less overtly tangy flavor. Crucially, its higher fat content means it’s less likely to curdle when heated, making it an excellent choice for baked goods and sauces. In this peach pie, crème fraîche performs several remarkable functions: it lends a delicate, slightly tart counterpoint to the sweet peaches, preventing the pie from becoming cloyingly sweet. During baking, it sets beautifully, transforming into a luxurious, creamy custard that adds incredible depth and body to the filling. If you find crème fraîche elusive in your local grocery store, a high-fat sour cream can serve as a substitute, though the slight flavor and texture differences might be discernible. Opt for the fullest-fat sour cream available to get as close as possible to the richness of crème fraîche.
Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie
Authored by David Leite
Dessert
Southern
8
servings
238
kcal
30 minutes
1 hour
5 minutes
2 hours
25 minutes
Ingredients
For the Crumb Topping
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons (2 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
For the Pie Crust and Filling
- 1/2 recipe Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Pastry Dough)
- 1 1/2 pounds (4 to 5) ripe peaches, peeled, if desired, and quartered
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon crème fraîche
Instructions
Prepare the Crumb Topping
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In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners’ sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. This helps to ensure a smooth, uniform texture for your topping. Using a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips, swiftly work in the cold unsalted butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized crumbs. The key is to keep the butter cold to achieve that desired crumbly texture. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture while you prepare the rest of the pie. This chilling step is crucial for maintaining the topping’s integrity during baking.
Assemble and Bake the Pie
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On a lightly floured surface, carefully roll out the chilled Pâte Sucrée dough to an even 1/8 inch thickness. Gently transfer the rolled dough into a 9- or 10-inch pie plate, easing it into the corners without stretching. Trim any excess dough, leaving a generous 1-inch overhang. Fold this overhang under the edge of the pie plate and crimp decoratively as desired—a fork tines or your knuckles work well for creating a beautiful edge. To prevent bubbling, pierce the bottom of the dough all over with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze the pie crust until it is firm, approximately 30 minutes. This chilling helps the crust hold its shape during baking.
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While the crust is chilling, preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). Once the crust is firm, line it with a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, making sure it extends up the sides. Fill the lined crust with pie weights or dried beans. This “blind baking” step is essential for creating a crisp, fully baked bottom crust that won’t become soggy from the fruit filling.
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Bake the weighted pie crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the weights and parchment, then continue to bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until the crust is pale golden brown. This ensures the crust is partially cooked before the filling is added. Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack to cool slightly while you prepare the peaches. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) for the final bake.
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In a large bowl, gently sprinkle the quartered peaches with the granulated sugar and the remaining pinch of salt. Toss them very carefully to combine, ensuring the peaches are evenly coated without bruising. Let the peaches stand for about 15 minutes; this process, known as macerating, helps draw out their natural juices and enhances their flavor, contributing to a wonderfully moist filling.
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To assemble the pie, spread 2 tablespoons of crème fraîche evenly over the bottom of the slightly cooled pie crust. This creates a protective layer and adds a foundational creamy tang. Evenly sprinkle about 1/3 of the chilled crumb mixture over the crème fraîche. Arrange the macerated peaches attractively on top of the crumbs. Next, spread or dollop the remaining 3 tablespoons of crème fraîche over the peaches. Finally, generously sprinkle the remaining crumb topping over the entire pie, ensuring an even layer for that perfect crunchy texture.
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Bake the pie in the preheated 375°F (190°C) oven until the crème fraîche filling is bubbling beautifully and the crumb topping has achieved a rich, golden brown color, typically about 50 minutes. Keep a close eye on the pie as it bakes. If the edge of the pastry crust begins to brown too quickly, easily fashion a long strip of aluminum foil into a C-shape and gently slip it around the crust. This simple trick shields the edges, preventing them from over-browning while allowing the rest of the pie to cook perfectly.
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Once baked, carefully transfer the hot pie to a wire rack. It is crucial to let the pie cool for at least 20 minutes, or ideally for an hour or more, before slicing and serving. This cooling time allows the filling to set properly, ensuring clean slices and preventing a runny pie. Serve your magnificent Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie warm, perhaps with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, or at room temperature for a delightful end to any meal.
Adapted From
Martha Stewart’s New Pies and Tarts
Buy On Amazon
Nutrition
Calories: 238 kcal
Carbohydrates: 28 g
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 13 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g
Trans Fat: 0.2 g
Cholesterol: 20 mg
Sodium: 140 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 14 g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation only.
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Insights and Tips from Our Recipe Testers
Our dedicated team of recipe testers meticulously evaluated this Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie, offering valuable insights and confirming its deliciousness. Their collective experiences provide additional tips to ensure your baking success.
Chiyo Ueyama
Chiyo found this pie to be truly lovely, praising the harmonious combination of sweet peaches, rich crème fraîche, and the buttery, egg-enriched Pâte Sucrée. A standout observation was how the sturdy pastry crust impeccably held all the luscious peach juices without succumbing to sogginess, resulting in a beautifully browned crust that cut cleanly. She also delightfully noted that the crème fraîche genuinely set like a custard, adding an unexpected creamy texture. For those without a 10-inch pie plate, Chiyo confirmed that a 9-inch pan accommodates all ingredients perfectly. She suggested peeling the peaches for her next attempt, indicating a preference for an even smoother fruit texture.
Kristina R.
Kristina highlighted the pie’s elegant simplicity as its strongest asset. She observed that the peaches cooked down into an almost jam-like consistency, while the creamy crème fraîche and sweet crumble topping merged to create an undeniably delicious dessert. She opted for her personal favorite pie dough over the Pâte Sucrée, illustrating the recipe’s adaptability. Confirming Chiyo’s experience, Kristina also used a 9-inch pie plate, finding that the peaches fit snugly within the crust. Her strong recommendation is for everyone to bake this pie while the peach season is still in full swing, emphasizing its fresh, seasonal appeal.
Natalie Reebel
Natalie lauded this as a “very nice summer pie.” Initially skeptical about leaving the peach skins on, she was pleasantly surprised by the resulting “country and Americana” aesthetic and confirmed that the skins did not negatively impact the texture for any of her tasters. This no-peel approach also made the assembly process quick and easy, even with her young son assisting. She particularly enjoyed the peach juices that bubbled over between the crust and the dish, finding these sticky, crispy bits infused with intense fruit flavor to be her favorite part – a true “bite of summer.” Natalie appreciated the lack of fuss, noting that simply quartering the peaches and layering them with crème fraîche and crumb mixture was incredibly effective.
Amy M.
Amy found this peach pie utterly delicious, specifically highlighting the incredibly simple yet outstanding crust, which she rated as the best she had ever made. Despite two minor accidental deviations, the pie’s quality remained largely unaffected. Her first “mistake” was using white peaches instead of the specified yellow peaches, and she happily reported that white peaches serve as an equally delightful substitute. Her second accidental omission was adding the juices from macerating the peaches back into the pie. While the pie set fairly well after cooling, she believed it was slightly looser than intended, a useful note for others to be mindful of draining excess peach juices. Amy also suggested a slight adjustment to the sweetness, recommending an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar for the peaches, depending on their natural sweetness, to achieve a perfectly balanced flavor.
Linda Pacchiano
Linda confirmed this to be a “great summer pie,” appreciating the unique twist of crème fraîche in a peach pie recipe. She found the baking time to be perfect but noted the necessity of using foil around the crust edges to prevent them from becoming too dark, a common and helpful tip for many pie bakers. Her only minor concern was that the crumb topping, despite being refrigerated, didn’t retain its distinct crumbly appearance after baking, instead melding more into the pie. However, she emphasized that this did not negatively affect the pie’s flavor or overall appearance, attributing it possibly to the high baking temperature. Linda also advised extending the cooling time; while the recipe suggests at least 20 minutes, she found that the pie truly needed at least an hour on a wire rack to properly set before serving, ensuring optimal slicing and enjoyment.
This Peach and Crème Fraîche Pie is more than just a recipe; it’s an invitation to savor the peak flavors of summer. With its delicate crust, luscious peach and crème fraîche filling, and crunchy crumb topping, it promises a memorable dessert experience that’s both elegant and comforting. Whether you’re an experienced baker or new to pie making, this Martha Stewart-inspired creation is a rewarding endeavor that will delight your senses and impress your guests. Don’t miss the chance to bake this sensational summer dessert while fresh peaches are at their absolute best!