Skillet Caramel Peach Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

Yesterday . . . I was following my husband, who was driving a huge combine. I trailed behind hauling the long and heavy header.

Today . . . I made pie.

I much prefer making pie to hauling combine headers!

I’d like to give you a piece of this pie, but it’s gone, gone, so gone.

We had it for dessert, for breakfast and for lunch.

Guilt wasn’t even a factor, because it was just too good for guilt to rule over taste.

Tricia Yearwood made this pie on her t.v. show one saturday morning, and it called my name. It came together very quickly, because she used canned Apple pie filling and pre-made pastry crust. You know . . . the kind you can buy in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. I happen to have home-made pie pastry in my freezer, so I used that instead.

The original recipe calls for Apple pie filling, but I adapted it just slightly.  I decided that peaches and caramel sounded quite delicious as a pairing.

Peaches, Apples or even a Pear pie would be splendid.

So . . . I began.

(Important note: First thing you want to do, is decide what fruit filling you will be using and have it ready, then set it aside.)

See this?  It’s butter, brown sugar, a touch of cinnamon and vanilla in a cast iron skillet.  Yummy.

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet . . . please go buy one if you can. This pie actually bakes in the skillet. I believe the cast iron, is what creates enough heat to magically caramelize and bake the flaky golden crust to crispy perfection.

Warning:  Do not stick a finger in the hot caramel to taste. It will stick to finger and BURN! Tried and so true.

Quickly lay a rolled 9″ pie crust (home-made or store-bought) over the top of the hot caramel sauce. Sprinkle the pastry with cinnamon and sugar. Try to work quickly so that the pastry doesn’t get too hot. The skillet is hot!

Note:  The original recipe calls for pre-made refrigerated rolled pie crusts. I’m not a fan, for some reason I think they have an odd taste. Certainly use pre-made rather than opting not to try this recipe. You can grab a box of refrigerated pie crust, close to the butter section of most grocery stores. If you have a bit more time on you hands, make homemade pie pastry. Make sure you don’t buy puff pastry. It’s not the same thing.

FYI:  This is just my opinion:   I’ve tried the pre-made rolled pie pastry, and for some reason, I prefer the non name brand to the more expensive name brand pie crust.

When I first started making this, I decided on peaches instead of apples. My dilemna was the fact that I only had 2 large peaches in the fridge.

I opted for something in the middle!  Bear with me now.

I decided to cut up and slice those fresh peaches and I added those fresh peaches to a 21 oz. can of peach pie filling. I measured –  1- 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch and also 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the filling and tossed it all together. I added the cornstarch, so that the pie would not be too runny since I added 2 extra peaches. Sprinkle with a bit more cinnamon and sugar.

So why did I add extra peaches?  We prefer a full pie, with a lot of fruit filling.  I didn’t think that one can of peach filling would be quite enough.

Lay the other rolled pie crust over the top of the filling. Leave it rustic on the edges or flute just a bit. Brush the top of the pastry with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Take a sharp knife and cut vents in the middle of the pie, so that all of the filling doesn’t bubble out the sides and ruin your oven, and turn on your smoke alarm!

Bake, Bake, Bake until that pastry is a beautiful golden brown and the fruit filling is starting to ooze over the sides.  Ohhhhhh it’s ready.

Remember all that caramel sauce at the bottom?  It has bubbled up the sides of the pan. I quickly took a sharp knife and went around the edges carefully to loosen it just a bit. Then let it cool a bit.

When you cut pieces of pie, it comes out easily!

My notes:

Canned pie filling isn’t always the preferred choice, but it’s fast and easy.

If you have a problem with using canned pie filling, you certainly could use all fresh cut apples or peaches. Just make sure that you add a thickener like flour or cornstarch. My recommendation if to follow the fruit filling recipe for an apple or peach pie 9″ – and use that instead of canned pie filling.

You can also do as I did:  1 -21 oz. can of apple or peach pie filling + 2 sliced apples or 2 sliced peaches + 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch + 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

This pie . . . is over the top . . . scrumptious!

 

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SKILLET APPLE PIE

Ingredients
Skillet Apple Pie:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2 refrigerated rolled pie crusts, such as Pillsbury
One 21-ounce can apple pie filling
2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
Cinnamon Whipped Cream:
2 cups whipping cream, chilled
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons sugar

Directions
For the skillet apple pie: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet; set aside 1 tablespoon of the melted butter for the top crust. To the melted butter, add the brown sugar and melt them together on medium heat, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and line the skillet with one of the pie crusts. Pour the apple pie filling over the crust and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon sugar. Use the second pie crust to cover the filling. Brush the top with the reserved melted butter, then evenly sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar on top. Cut vents in the middle of the pie. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot, topped with a generous dollop of cinnamon whipped cream.

For the cinnamon whipped cream: Chill a large metal mixing bowl and a wire beater attachment in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Pour the cream, cinnamon and sugar into the cold mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes; the mixture should hold its shape when dropped from a spoon. Don’t overbeat or you’ll have sweetened butter!