Peach Custard Pie and a Girls' Party

Sunday evening I spent preparing food for Monday evening's Roundup girls' dinner, which I hosted as a get-to-know-you, welcome-to-the-team event for Tressa, our editorial intern this summer, and Saige, our assistant editor.

Along with Ranch Potato Salad, Marinated Tomatoes and Dijon-Rosemary Steak and Lemon-Garlic Shrimp marinade for build-your-own kabobs, I also put together a Peach Custard Pie.

Although many pie recipes that I come across come along with their own pie crust recipe, I always stick to my mom's Flaky Pastry recipe. I'm not sure where it came from, as I just have it written on a recipe card, but it most always turns out good for me, and most times I can make it flaky.

This was one of those recipes, since it was for custard, that required the pie crust to be baked before the filling was put in.

To easily peel the peaches, you place them in boiling water for a minute or two, then remove them to an ice bath before peeling and pitting them. I remember doing this in large quantities in Georgia, where my family had access to a peach orchard - all the peaches we wanted, there for the picking. We canned quite a few in those days.

The custard filling was very simple, but if I were to make it again, I might double the amount, as my deep pie dish kind of made the custard filling look a little skimpy. As it was, I had extra peach slices so I added them to fill the pie a little more.

And here it was, crust all baked, custard and peaches arranged, and ready to go in the oven for the final baking process. Quite cheery to pair with a summer's evening dinner and grilled kabobs.

The recipe came from the June 2011 edition of Martha Stewart Living, which included a whole series of summer pies - most of them fruit. I might have to keep working my way through the recipes, as I had a hard time choosing which one to make for this event. We're having company again Friday evening - friends Emily and Morgan on their way back from Idaho - so perhaps I will choose another recipe for them.

Other than that, I spent much time last weekend working on my gardens and yard, and it was really nice to have enough time that I could take my time deciding how to plant and where to put things. The zinnias I started from seed are doing the best so far, and they took the heat of the last few days in stride. We're supposed to have cooler weather now, so hopefully that will help the spinach, herbs and other flowers adapt better to being outside. Next time I start seeds, I will start them earlier, as many of my plants are still a little too delicate to transplant. It's all an experiment!