I AM FINALLY DONE WITH LSAT. I hope y’all can feel my excitement with these all cap letters. The funny thing is I’ve wakened up at least 3 times the night before score release day, with vivid nightmares of scoring only 129 (120=0 in LSAT world), crawling in my laundry bag and crying. Well, maybe the saying that all dreams are opposite does make some sense. I have not expected to get my target score on this try. I legitimately thought I’ll have to do it all again for the third time.
It has been a tough year. As I mentioned in the only 2 posts I have this year, taking LSAT with an infant is just brutal. And I’m not your smart girl type. I studied with tears. So many tears. So if anyone of you has taken LSAT, you know the relief I’m having now.
I spent that day really not knowing what to do. All of sudden I have this free time that I have long craved and I’m not yet used to the fact I don’t need to feel guilty spending my “alone” time not studying. I surfed the web for a bit. Researching law schools. Looking at the food blogs I didn’t have time to visit. Re-organizing my “to try” recipe pile (a VERY thick pile). Drinking my favorite tea. Talking with my mom with the biggest smile in my face, like an idiot. Playing with little croissant. Life is just wonderful without LSAT.
Then I decided I should make a peach pie with BYE LSAT on top. Summer has finally arrived here in Washington and I’ve been craving a slice of juicy peach pie. It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but it’s my first official time to bake a pie. It’s simply because I was a pie hater. I didn’t understand why (almost) all Americans are crazy about pies. Well, I think after making my late summer rye galette last year, I started to feel juicy in-season fruits actually pairs well with a flaky dough. 🥧
One of the reasons why I didn’t like pies before is the filling usually is way too sweet. With a dough full of butter, the whole thing starts to feel greasy. I’ve also made several not so great pie dough recipe. Perhaps it’s also because I’ve never eaten a good enough pie! So when I want to make the Perfect Peach Pie this time, I turned to my trusty source – Yossy Arefi’s Apt 2B Baking Co. Her peach pie recipe is called Straight Up Peach Pie, which is exactly how I like my peach pies too – just peach and sugar, no spices, nothing else. It turned out PERFECT. Just sweet enough filling with super flaky pie crust🍑 It turned a pie hater like me to a pie lover!
You can decorate your pie however you want. I used cookie cutters and cut out letters for “BYE BYE LSAT” and filled the pie with these letters. It’s a fun and easy way to decorate your pie (and you can turn your pie to a letter board, yeah!). I used Plugra unsalted butter, which gives the pie crust such a wonderful creamy & buttery smell and taste. Use your best butter. Yossy’s pie crust is already great, but a good butter will make it stellar. 🧈
More on the Perfect Peach Pie will be in the recipe report below. I’m going to sign off, enjoy the rare sunshine, and start my law school application process. Good luck to anyone who has taken, is taking, or will take LSAT. I’m with you. Until next time, bake and eat more peach pies!🧡
Perfect Peach Pie Recipe Report
Yield: one 9-inch pie
Author: HerBakingLab
Recipe from Yossy Arefi’s Apt 2B Baking Co.
MATERIALS:
Crust:
1. 12 ounces all purpose flour
2. 1 teaspoons salt
3. 9 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4. 4 ounces ice cold water
5. 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Filling:
1. 7 medium peaches (about 3 1/2 lbs), ripe but firm
2. 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3. 3 tablespoons cornstarch*
4. pinch salt
5. juice from 1/2 lemon
6. egg, for egg wash
7. turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
PROCEDURE:
Crust:
1. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut in half of the butter until it is the size of peas, then cut in the other half until it is the size lima beans. Some of the butter will be completely worked into the flour, but you should have lots of visible pieces of butter in the dough too.
2. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water. Sprinkle about 1/2 of the water over the dough. Use a gentle hand or wooden spoon to mix the water into the flour until just combined. If the dough seems very dry, add more water a couple of teaspoons at a time. You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it together without it falling apart.
3. Press the dough together, then split it in half, form into discs and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least one hour before using, or overnight.
To Assemble and Bake:
1. Preheat oven to 425º and position a rack in the lower third of the oven.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough into a 12-inch circle about 1/4-1/8-inch thick and place it into a 9-inch pie pan. Place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the pie.
3. Roll out the other piece of dough into a 12-inch circle about 1/4-1/8-inch thick and place it in the fridge on a sheet pan to chill while you prepare the filling.
4. To make the filling: use a vegetable peeler to carefully peel the peaches. Cut them into 1/2-inch wedges and add them to a bowl. Add the sugar, cornstarch, salt and lemon juice. Stir gently to combine. If the peaches seem especially juicy, add a bit more cornstarch.
5. Fill the prepared pie shell with the peaches and top with the second crust. Crimp the edges and cut a few vents in the top.
6. Slide the whole pie into the fridge or freezer for about 15 minutes or until the crust is nice and firm before you bake it. When you are ready to bake, brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg and sprinkle with a healthy dose of coarse sugar.
7. Put the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 15 minutes on the lowest rack of your oven, then lower the oven temp to 400º and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is deep golden brown and the juices bubble. Cool before serving.
OBSERVATIONS & NOTES:
* I used 3.5 tablespoons cornstarch. Keep an eye on how juicy your peaches are. If the filling seems still too runny, add more cornstarch.
1. I followed the recipe and did 425ºF for 15 minutes first and 400ºF for 40 minutes. My crust is a little too well-browned than I like. I think next time I’ll do 425ºF for 10 minutes first, 400ºF for 35 minutes and check if the pie needs more time in the oven.
2. There are several times in the recipe that needs you to chill your pie dough/pie. Don’t skip them! They really helped your pie crust to be the best and flakiest.
3. Lastly, as I mentioned in my post above, use the best butter you can get. It does make a difference.
