Peach Purse Pie

Peaches seem to be coming into their own right now. I think they are a tiny bit early, but that is probably due to the hot weather we have been having and to the drought. A couple of nights ago I had some really ripe peaches on hand and some refrigerated pie dough circles, so I made a quick gallette, which is really just a disc of dough rolled out a bit more and folded over the fruit. Because you don't have to fit the crust into a pie plate, nor seal and crimp a top crust, it is a really speedy way to go and it makes a pie that looks a lot like a draw string purse. I love the folds of dough that result and the rustic look of it, too.

This is another one of those not-really-a-recipe-exactly recipes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. If you have a baking stone, put it on an upper shelf, but make sure the shelf is low enough to allow for the pie.

Take the dough for a one-crust pie. If you are using the refrigerated stuff, just warm it up a bit and spread it out on a piece of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll it out a little more into a circle about 11 or 12 inches in diameter. If you are being wise and using real pie dough, roll it out into a circle about 11 or 12 inches in diameter on a piece of parchment paper.

Prepare your fruit as you usually would for a pie. I like my peaches peeled, but my nectarines not peeled. Be sure to get rid of the pits and to slice the fruit. Sprinkle with some flour if your peaches are really juice and then toss lightly and gently. Sprinkle with some ground nutmeg. If the peaches are not really sweet, sprinkle with some sugar.

Pile the fruit in the center of the rolled out dough. Fold the dough up around the fruit. The excess dough will fall into folds.

Take an egg and beat it in a small bowl with a teaspoon of water. Brush the pastry with this mixture using a pastry brush. Sprinkle top with sparkling (sanding) sugar if you like.

Bake on the baking stone or slide the parchment and pie carefully onto a baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbly.

Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes on a rack. Serve warm or let cool longer and serve cool.

Note: if fruit is really juicy, use a pan with sides under the pie, even if using the baking stone. A pizza pan or sheet pan works well. No one enjoys cleaning spilled peach juice from the oven bottom.