Every region of the Unites States has its own local personality. This comes out in the form of accents in how we talk, music that we listen to, and food that we consume.
When you think of the South, there are many things that come to mind. Southern cooking is just one of them, but it’s an important one.
Just some of the delectable dishes associated with the South include:
- Fried Chicken
- Barbeque
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Hush Puppies
- Collard Greens
- Grits
Georgia, in particular, stands out as a culinary gem of the South. There is a certain charm associated with the state’s delicacies.
Georgia is known as “The Peach State” for good reason. Peaches grown in Georgia’s unique Southeastern climate are recognized for their superior flavor, texture, and nutritious qualities.
That nickname is one that the people of Georgia are very proud of. Georgia designated the peach as the official state fruit in 1995. Additionally, an image of the peach is proudly displayed on the Georgia quarter.
SIGNATURE PEACH PIE
The abundance of peaches in Georgia have inspired the local culinary masterminds to come up with just about peach anything. There’s peach pie, peach cobbler, peach fritters, peach doughnuts, peach ice cream, and peach Danish to name just a few. And that doesn’t even start to count the number of peach beverages there are. Peach daiquiri anyone?
Of the many options, the one peach delicacy that immediately comes to mind when you think of Georgia is peach pie. There is just something special about Georgia peach pie. When you use superior ingredients, you create a superior product.
Creating not just a peach pie, but an authentic Georgia peach pie starts with the crust. The buttery crust is usually made with a combination of flour, sugar, salt, butter, and ice water.
The use of sugar and salt in a Georgia pie crust is key. They both enhance the flavor of the crust in their own way.
In baking a pie, the crust requires one of four basic fats:
- Butter
- Shortening
- Lard
- Oil
Of the four options, butter creates the flakiest, most flavorful crust. While some more modern recipes may call for the use of shortening or a half-and-half mix of butter and shortening, a true old fashioned Georgia pie crust is made with an abundance of butter.
The filling of a typical Georgia peach pie includes:
- Peaches
- Sugar
- Lemon Juice
- Flour
- Butter
Variations on the basic Georgia peach pie filling recipe may include substituting corn starch for flour, and can include such additional ingredients as eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, orange zest, and milk.
ALL-YEAR ENJOYMENT
Peaches are not a year-round crop in Georgia. So long ago, the people of the state set their sights on figuring out ways for enjoying peaches year-round. That led to canned and dried variations of the fruit.
Needless to say, Georgia being The Peach State translates into some of its residents craving the many delights of peach pie even during the winter. But alas, there are no fresh peaches at that time of year. To fill this void, the great great grandmothers of the region began experimenting with making pies from canned and dried peaches.
Canned peaches produce a pie similar taste to fresh peaches, However, because the peaches are already cooked during the canning process, and then cooked again in the pie, they are much softer and far more tender.
And what of dried peaches? What can be done with these delectable, dried treats to satisfy a winter peach pie craving?
Those great great grandmothers came through in a big way with the creation of Georgia Fried Dried Peach Pies.
Rather than try to be an adequate substitution for fresh peach pie, as is the case with using canned peaches, Georgia Fried Dried Peach Pies are a whole new flavor experience.
STEP-BY-STEP
How to make Georgia Fried Dried Peach Pies:
1) The first step in making these hand pies is rehydrating the peaches. To do this you place the dried peaches in a large bowl covered in ice water. Let sit overnight.
2) Transfer rehydrated dried peaches to medium sized saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover them.
3) Bring them a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
4) As the peaches simmer, use a wooden spoon to cut them into small pieces.
5) Add a mixture of butter, cinnamon, and sugar to taste. Add a dash of lemon juice. Stir thoroughly.
6) Use a potato masher to reduce the sugared fruit blend to the consistency of lumpy mashed potatoes.
7) Create a traditional Georgia butter pie crust dough using flour, butter, sugar, salt, and a touch of whole milk.
8) Roll out dough on a floured surface and then using a saucer as a template, cut out individual six-inch circles of pie crust – small enough to be held in one hand when folded in half.
9) Spoon a liberal amount of filling into the middle of each circle, then fold in half, and press the half-moon crust to seal where the edges connect. Complete the seal with a fork.
10) Heat oil in a skillet to a hot temperature. Add pies and cook until brown on both sides.
11) Remove from oil and set on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
12) Optionally sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
ANYTIME SNACK
Georgia Fried Dried Peach Pies were conceived as a way to enjoy a fun variation on favorite traditional peach pie recipes while surviving the cold of winter. They are so good, however, that they are family favorites any time of year.
To make the best pies, you need the best ingredients.
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Similar hand pies can be made with Dried Apple Rings. If you fall in love with those two flavor hand pies and are good at creating new things, consider trying your hand at making them with other dried fruits.
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