Peach Pie

It's hot as hell and humid, too. Just the same, I took the bus down our local farmer's market to buy peaches as I was determined to make a pie today. Yes, it's kind of crazy to have the oven on in this weather but once I have my mind set on making something, it's pretty hard to stop me. The peaches looked better than they were but it worked out okay. I made the pastry yesterday so today I just had to roll it out. I cut the dough in half and rolled out one half to fit the bottom of a nine-inch pie plate. I put that in the refrigerator while I rolled the second half out into a large round. I put the round on a baking sheet then popped it into the refrigerator. I bought a large pot of water to a boil and cut a cross into each end of the peaches. I plunged them into the boiling water and almost immediately transfer them to a bowl of ice water so that I could slip off the skins. Unfortunately, the peaches were not free-stone so cutting them into wedges was messier than I would have liked. After peeling and slicing them I decided I didn't have enough so I took out a bag of frozen sliced peaches that I had from some recipe testing I'd done a few months ago. I thawed them and added them to the other peaches. I tossed the peaches with a mixture of tapioca I had ground in a spice grinder, a little cornstarch and about a cup and a quarter of sugar. I added some vanilla and just a touch of salt. The oven was set at 375°F and I had smartly lined a baking sheet with foil to catch any juices that overflowed. I filled the lined pie pan with the peach mixture then topped it with the rolled out circle that was on a baking sheet. I crimped the edges and brushed the top with a little milk. I sprinkled over about 2 tablespoons sugar and baked the pie for 30 minutes. Then I turned down the heat to 350°F and cooked it for another forty-five minutes. That's my peach pie! Hope it's good. Meanwhile, I thought I might as well start dinner. I browned some chicken thighs that I had marinated yesterday in lemon, garlic and rosemary. After they took on a nice golden color, I removed them to a plate and poured out some of the fat. I added a couple of chopped onions to the skillet and them over medium heat, stirring vigorously to pick up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. I poured in a little white wine and cooked the onions until most of the liquid had evaporated. Then I stirred in a cup of rice, some more rosemary and a couple of cups of chicken stock. I poured this mixture into a Le Creuset pot and put the thighs on top. It baked with the pie for thirty minutes. How i just have to re-heat it for dinner. That's my cooking adventure for today. Going out to lunch and dinner tomorrow so I get the day off! Hopefully the heat wave breaks tomorrow, too....