Simply enough, polenta is cornmeal that has been roughly processed. Although I prefer to measure the polenta at just a thin fraction of a full cup, the traditional ratio is 1 part polenta to 4 parts water. I frequently substitute chicken broth for water. It makes a fantastic foundation for any spicy beef or mushroom ragout.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 45 mins |
| Additional Time: | 2 hrs |
| Total Time: | 3 hrs 15 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 1 10×15-inch pan |
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 pinch salt (Optional)
- 1 ½ cups vegetable shortening
- 1 egg
- ⅔ cup cold water, or as needed
- 1 ¼ cups water, divided
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (Optional)
- 4 cups fresh peaches – peeled, pitted, and sliced
Instructions
- Mix together the flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat the egg in a small bowl, and pour it into a 1-cup measuring cup. Pour in enough cold water to total 1 cup, and mix the water and egg into the dough. Mix the dough a few times with your fingers, until it holds together. Divide the dough in half.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Whisk together 3/4 cup of water with the cornstarch in a bowl until smooth, and set aside. Mix 1/2 cup of water with 3/4 cup of sugar in a large saucepan until the sugar has dissolved, and bring to a boil. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the boiling sugar mixture until thickened and translucent, whisking constantly, about 1 minute; whisk in 1/4 teaspoon of salt and lemon juice, if desired. Combine with the sliced peaches.
- Roll half the crust out on a floured surface in a rectangle shape about 12 by 20 inches, and fit the pastry into a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan. Roll the second half of the crust out to the same size as the first crust. Pour the peach filling into the bottom crust, and place the top crust on the pie. Crimp and fold the edges to seal, and cut several slits into the top crust.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbling, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Allow to cool completely to let the filling set up before slicing into squares to serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 462 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 52 g |
| Cholesterol | 16 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Sodium | 58 mg |
| Sugars | 17 g |
| Fat | 26 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I made this exactly as the the recipe stated and it was very, very good. It’s not overly sweet, which I prefer. The dough was easy to work with. I will make this again but add a glaze to the top of the crust next time. Great recipe.
Totally loved it and it was my first finger pie. It’s perfect for picnics or after school snack. I only had coconut lard, but it worked without any problem. I’d love more peach next time which may make it messier but worth it. It’s going to be a new family thing. Happy happy mommy
The filling was delicious but I thought the crust was almost like cardboard. I’ve been making homemade pies for years so I don’t think it was over handling, which I know can cause a tough crust. As I was mixing it I thought it looked pretty dry. I added a thin glaze to the top that made it more palatable.
After reading some of the reviews I chose to tweak my recipe. I added another tablespoon of sugar to the dough, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg to the peach mixture. I too found I had more dough than filling but it was tasty. My husband hates fruit pies but he tried it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and loved it!!!!
After reading the reviews and comments about not enough filling,. I made 1 and a half times the recipe. By doing so, it made it impossible to eat by hand. Finger pie became Fork pie. It was delicious and I would make it again using the amount of peaches called for especially if wanting to eat by hand.
I used really ripe juicy peaches so I added more corn starch and it turned out great. The only change I would make is more sugar in the crust (and maybe some spices like cinnamon or nutmeg), but that is a personal preference. Wonderful recipe. I will be making it again!
This recipe is amazingly good! I made this last night to bring to work because if it is your birthday, the birthday person brings the treats to work! Peaches are in season so I thought this would be nice to try. I would make it in 2 smaller pans next time, because I found it tricky picking up the rolled dough without breaking it, given that it was so big! Huge hit at work!
I made this for a bridal shower. Tried a recipe week before…not sweet enough. Used 1 1/4 c sugar second time around, it was better, but still not sweek enough again. I guess my peaches were not sweet at all. Will try again, but will sample peaches and adjust sugar. Also added 1/2 teaspoon almond extract to the sugar/water mixture. Everyone at the shower enjoyed them!
The lady across the street had loads of very ripe peaches from her tree. I looked on this site and found this recipes and said this is it. I love crust, so it was even better. I did add more peaches 5 cups and did add just a little more sugar and it was fabulous. It was a little bit of work to make the crust but with my mother by my side who has perfected crust making we did a good job of it. Loved this recipe. You have got to try it!!! thank you!!
Wonderful! I used frozen peaches and it was good
I was looking for an easily packable alternative to cookies and brownies for a bake sale, and this was perfect! I agree with a former reviewer, however, that it needs more peach filling. Next time I will make 1 and 1/2 times the filling.
Very similar to the apple pie slices I make, it was good but was a bit tart and needed more sugar in the peaches, next time I would also add an extra cup of peaches to have more peaches than crust.
Very good, and a great take-along for a cookout. Crust came out delicious. In my opinion, the filling needed some spices, but all-in-all a nice, simple way to use peaches!
We love this too at our home! Thanks for posting Jamie! We like it cold too! You can make this with canned peaches too if fresh aren’t available.
this was delicious! i love peaches and am always on the look out for new and wonderful peach recipes.