Appalachian Foothills Peach Sonker

Yesterday morning while reading the NY Times, hubby came into my home office & handed me an article to read.  As he did so, he said "Neither you nor our daughter-in-law who hails from Surry County have made a sonker for me and I'd like one"!  Well... I am Southern born & bred and I have had my share of pies, cobblers, crisps, and yes, even a grunt.... but I've never had a sonker!  That is until today!  I generally read the NY Times for fashion inspiration, the arts, the book review, and world events ... so now, I will be certain to read the Food & Dining section of the Times!   Click here for a link to the article that appeared.

After doing a bit of research, this is the recipe that I made and once again, it is a keeper!  I think it would work well with peaches, berries or apples... But when you read the article, you will learn that sweet potato sonkers are the "real deal"... I'm thinking autumn for this one!

Adapted from Nancie McDermott's "Southern Pies"

Ingredients
2 9-inch refrigerated pie crusts, rolled out into a rectangle shape (I used Pillsbury)

  Or you can make your own!

For filling:
1 1/2 c. sugar (I used ¾ cup Splenda)
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla
9 c. fresh peaches, peeled and cut into slices (about 10 large peaches)
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

 
1. Roll one pie crust & line a 9x13-inch greased and floured baking pan. Make sure to tuck the dough into the corners.

2. Roll out remaining crust and cut into long strips, approximately 1-inch wide.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt, using a fork or whisk to combine. Add the sliced and peeled peaches and gently toss them with the dry mixture until they are evenly coated. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and toss again to combine.  Pour the filling into the pastry-lined pan and spread evenly. Pour the melted butter and 1/4 c. water evenly over the peach filling.

4. With the remaining crust strips, weave a criss-cross or lattice pattern across the top of the filling. Press the end of each strip against the side of the pastry crust.  Seal and crimp the edges using your fingers.

5. Place the sonker in the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for about 45-55 minutes more, or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling.

There is an optional dip in the McDermott cookbook but I didn't make it... just served mine warm  with high quality vanilla ice cream.  But if you're interested, here's the recipe!

For dip:
1/2 c. sugar
3 Tblsp. cornstarch
3 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch, mixing well with a fork or whisk. Add milk and vanilla and stir to dissolve the dry mixture into the milk. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir constantly as it comes to a boil. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat and let the dip simmer until it thickens and becomes smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to let cool.  Serve sonker warm, covering each slice with a generous ladle-full of dip.