Peach Fried Pies With Cinnamon Crust

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (frozen and thawed can be used)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting the work surface)
• 3 tablespoons sugar (plus extra for sprinkling the pies)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cream cheese, diced and chilled
• 9 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled (plus more for frying)
• 4 -6 tablespoons ice water

Recipe

• 1 in a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine the sugar, peach slices, cloves, and nutmeg. mix until blended. bring mixture to a boil; turn down heat and allow mixture to simmer until the peaches are softened, 20 to 25 minutes.
• 2 using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches from the saucepan and place in a small bowl. reserve 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the peach liquid in the saucepan and discard the rest. return the peaches to the saucepan.
• 3 in a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and the cornstarch. whisk cornstarch mixture into the peach mixture, stirring until combined. bring mixture to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to keep from sticking; mixture will be very thick.
• 4 transfer peach mixture to a clean bowl and chill for 1 hour, or until completely chilled.
• 5 to make crust: sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt into a large mixing bowl. add the chilled cream cheese and shortening and, working with your hands or a fork, mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal. add the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time and gently mix until the dough begins to stick together.
• 6 form dough into a round disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• 7 remove from the refrigerator and divide the dough into 8 equal portions.
• 8 on a lightly floured surface, roll out each dough piece into a thin circle, about 6-inches in diameter.
• 9 place 1/4 cup of the chilled peach filling into the center of each dough round. fold the dough over, making a half-moon shaped pastry, trim any excess dough leaving a 1/2-inch edge around the filling, and crimp the edges together with a fork. chill pies for 30 minutes.
• 10 in a large heavy skillet, melt vegetable shortening to a depth of about 1/2-inch. heat the shortening to 350 degrees. meanwhile, line a baking sheet with paper towels and sprinkle sugar lightly over the paper towels.
• 11 fry pies in skillet, in batches, until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side. transfer to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle the tops of the pies with sugar.
• 12 serve immediately with vanilla bean ice cream, or let cool on a wire rack and serve at room temperature.