Peachy Keen Peach Pie and Comfort Eating

I love pie. Any kind of pie, and if I can get my hands on some home grown organic fruit, so much the better. When I was gifted a sun kissed bowl of peaches from a friend’s orchard I knew that pie was going to feature on the dessert menu during the week. And probably a few jars of jam as well - little golden pots to store away and enjoy during the depths of winter. The peaches themselves were far from pretty, with little marks scouring the skin of most, but oh the smell! It’s like they had captured the last days of summer in their velvety soft skin. I knew they would make a delicious pie, and so I set about the task of trying to create a wholesome dessert pie that wasn’t jaw achingly sweet. I think I succeeded. Too well if you ask certain members of my family.

This is definitely not your run of the mill pie. Instead of being so sugar filled that all you can taste is a generic sweetness, with this pie, you can discern the flavours in the crust, the base and then the peaches on top. I admit it’s not for everyone. But if you don’t include a lot of processed sugar in your diet, you’ll probably approve. 

It’s wholesome and would make do as a lunch replacement if you were pressed for time and this was all you had in the fridge. I ate this three days straight and enjoyed every bit of it! So did Ävälon. Sandy watched on, horrified at our consumption of baked fruit and could only shake his head, amazed that we could enjoy such a thing. But I did, and if I’m honest, I might have been indulging in a bit of comfort eating, something I’m not the least bit prone to under normal circumstances. Be that as it may, Sandy, my rock and partner in crime, is leaving for a nine week aerial photography stint, and I’m already starting to miss him. And he hasn’t even walked out the door yet! What a sap, I know! It’s sickening, this being in love business, I admit. But there’s nothing for it. Nothing but to bake pies upon pies, that is! 

There’s something about a homemade pie that provides comfort in a way that is unmatched by other food. Perhaps it’s because I grew on apple pie. Mum would make it once a week and I remember the anticipation as we waited for it to come out of the oven. It was hot and sweet with just the right amount of tartness. It provided comfort then - in the happiness of the familiar - and does so still. It’s a little bit of love in a dish, and when it’s served up warm with some ice cream, it’s hard to beat. Love, like a good pie, will make you feel at home anywhere. And so pie will be my little piece of home when Sandy is away, as he is, unequivocally, home to me, no matter where we are. I will miss him dearly, but indulging in some scrumptious comfort eating every now and then will make his absence that much more bearable.

Hope you find some comfort in this pie, a warm wooly sweater and a good book. After all, autumn is here and indoor pursuits of all kinds are bound to take a front seat. 

Love and light!

Susanna xo