Peach Cream Pie: 16 Grams of Fat

The recipe for this fresh peach pie was given to me by a friend who learned to make it from her mother, celebrated for this dessert in Indiana. A flaky, golden crust is filled with fresh sliced peaches, light cream, sugar, vanilla and flour. Serve it with ice cream or frozen yogurt.

INDIANA PEACH CREAM PIE

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

2 1/2 tablespoons shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces

1/4 cup water

6 to 7 ripe peaches, preferably freestone

1 cup sugar

1 cup light cream or half and half

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 quart vanilla custard ice cream or 1 quart frozen vanilla yogurt, optional

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, powdered sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in mixing bowl. Cut in butter and shortening with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles oat flakes. Gradually add water, mixing just until dough holds together.

Transfer dough to lightly floured surface. Using heel of hand, smear dough, 1/4 cup at time, across surface to form 6-inch-long strip. Gather dough together and repeat 2 more times. Gather dough into ball and flatten to disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

(Dough can also be made in food processor. Place flour, powdered sugar and salt in processor bowl. Add butter and shortening. Process until mixture resembles oat flakes. With machine still running, slowly add water through feed tube until ball of dough forms. Wrap dough and refrigerate as above.)

(Dough can also be frozen. Cover tight with plastic wrap, then with foil and freeze. Defrost in refrigerator before using.)

Roll out chilled dough between 2 sheets of floured wax paper to form circle 12 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Remove 1 sheet of wax paper and invert dough into 9-inch pie plate. Mold dough to fit plate and remove second sheet of paper. Trim dough, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang inward and push against edge of shell to reinforce sides. Flute edges. Refrigerate.

Peel, halve and pit peaches. Cut each half into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Remove pie shell from refrigerator and arrange peaches in shell. Combine sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, cream, vanilla and remaining 1 tablespoon flour in mixing bowl. Mix well to blend. Pour into pie shell.

Bake pie on center rack of 400-degree oven 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is firm to touch, about 45 minutes more. Remove and cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or frozen yogurt. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

395 calories; 125 mg sodium; 34 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 60 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.88 gram fiber.