Bacon Lattice-Top Peach Pie a La Mode {with Bourbon Sweet Tea Syrup}

There is something about the honest to goodness, no apologies, "y'all come back now", rib-sticking recipes of the South that speak to me. I've mentioned my infatuation with Southern culture before, so it's no surprise that the food is no exception.

So around this time of year when everyone is all "tacos and margaritas" for Cinco de Mayo, I'm usually dreaming of Derby dishes and thinking about what foods go well with a splash of bourbon. {Hint: It's all of them.}

You can imagine my delight when I discovered that one of the contests for this year's Food & Wine Conference calls for creating your own twist on a classic Southern recipe. Um, done. 

My problem was not coming up with an idea, but narrowing down the slew of ideas that came to mind! My husband, bless him, has been kind enough to listen with {feigned} interest as I brainstormed over the past few days, abruptly blurting out Southern-inspired concoctions and waiting for a look of approval {or disbelief}.

When I came up with this combination, the look on his face was somewhere between curiosity and concern... so I knew it must be a winner.

On a lot of the cooking shows I watch, the celebrity chef judges often praise or criticize a contestant's
"restraint" or lack thereof in a dish. And this pie? This pie would definitely fall into the latter category.

This pie laughs at diets and sneers at daintiness. It says, "Don't come around here looking for a cream puff.", and yet, has some of the genteel qualities of a true Southerner.

Strips of bacon {yes, I went there} are interwoven with flaky bands of pie crust to create a perfectly piggy lattice top. Underneath the shocking exterior is a heap of sweet peaches that balance the salty bite of the bacon canopy. You could stop there, but I mean... you topped a pie with a bacon crust. So I highly suggest going full steam ahead with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of Bourbon Sweet Tea Syrup. It's just the right thing to do.

This ain't the way your grandma from Georgia made her peach pie, but listen... I'm not trying to win a blue ribbon at the county fair. {But I am trying to win a free conference pass!} Sometimes it's ok to #BreakTheRouxles!

Bacon Lattice-Top Peach Pie a La Mode with Bourbon Sweet Tea Syrup

For Pie Crust : 
1 box of store pie crust {or your own from scratch if you prefer, just make sure your recipe yield's 2 9 inch circles}
4 strips bacon {lean or thin cut if possible}

For Filling: 
4 cups frozen peaches {or 3 to 4 medium fresh peaches, peeled & pitted}
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon water
{Optional} 1 tablespoon sanding/sparkling sugar
Your favorite vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Carefully unroll pie crusts to fit a 9 inch round glass pie dish. Place the dough for the bottom half of the pie directly in the dish, pressing lightly and making sure it goes all the way up the sides.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients for filling. Add the peaches to the dry mixture and toss to coat all of the peaches evenly. Pour over the dough-covered bottom of the pie dish.

3. On a lightly floured surface, place the second circle of dough and measure out about 1 1/2 inch strips {the goal is to have strips of dough about as wide as your strips of bacon}. Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut into strips. For a lattice design, the easiest way to create the pattern is to fold back every other strip of dough about half way, then place a strip of bacon horizontally across the dough and return the strips to their normal position to overlap the piece of bacon. Continue this pattern until all the strips of bacon and pie dough are interwoven in a lattice design. This is a good tutorial for you visual learners out there!

3. Press the edges of the pie dough to seal or create a fluted design. {I actually reserved a few strips of pie dough from the top and pressed them around the edge to create a fluted border. You don't have to, but it makes for a nice presentation.}

4. In a small bowl, beat together egg and a tablespoon of water to create a wash. Brush the egg mixtures over the strips of pie dough. Bake the pie for about 35-40 minutes until the crust is golden and the bacon is cooked and crisp.*

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 20-30 minutes before slicing.

Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of Bourbon Sweet Tea Syrup!

For Syrup:
1/2 cup brewed peach flavored or regular black tea {bottled is fine, just make sure it's unsweetened}
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon

1. Bring tea, sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced by about half.
2. Remove from heat and stir in bourbon.

Set aside until ready to use or refrigerate, stored in a sealed jar.

*I typically like to use fresh fruit, but I couldn't find any peaches as they aren't in season just yet. Frozen works just fine. A pound of frozen peaches equals about 3 medium peaches. Depending on the source, it is suggested that you thaw and drain the peaches, though I did not. {And therefore had a bit of extra liquid in the pie.}

*If the edges of your pie is getting too dark before the bacon is crisp, you can use foil to tent the perimeter so that it doesn't over-brown. They also sell these nifty pie crust shields for this very purpose!

*There was a little grease from the bacon that I simply poured off by tipping the pie {carefully!!!} over the sink once the pie was slightly cooled.

Smoky Blue Cheese Grits

Confession: Food bloggers get stumped about what to make for dinner sometimes, too.

Don't get me wrong, I usually have a multitude of recipe ideas swimming around in my head. But most days when I get home from the office or finish a long day of working or recipes, the last thing I want to do is think about what to make for dinner. Those are usually the nights when I say, "Honey, you're on your own." Then I chop up some tomatoes and avocado, throw them in a bowl with a sprinkle of sea salt, and call it a day. {For the record, this a delicious, albeit lazy, thing to eat.}

Ruts happen; Pork chops with a side of rice. Pork chops with a side of quinoa. Pork chops with a side of sweet potato mash. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I am lucky that my sweet husband has taste buds that almost never tire of eating whatever is set in front of him. He's one of those people that can happily eat the same items for breakfast every day for a year without blinking an eye. Meaning, he's not much help when I'm trying to be creative and ask "What should we have as a side?"

His request is usually some form of greens -- a salad, sauteed spinach or kale, etc., etc., -- along with some form of starch. But the starchy element of dinner {which, honestly, I could most times do without} is usually the same response over and over again. A girl can only make so any versions of rice, quinoa and sweet potatoes before she loses her ever-loving mind.

A few weeks ago, after a long day and a firm refusal to eat the same.darn.thing again on a day when pork chops were {once again} up to bat, I decided to get a little creative.

Grits.

Smoky blue cheese grits. Because most of the time, my creativity is fueled by a constant desire to use up the tiny bits of things that end up rolling around the pantry and the fridge without a purpose. I happened to have half a box of grits sitting abandoned on one side of the pantry and a small chunk of blue cheese left over from my wine & chocolate tasting party that didn't look particularly inspiring. And so, smoky blue cheese grits came to pass.

If I said that the quick cooking time of grits didn't have something to do with my decision, I'd be lying. But the twist on a food that 1. Is usually thought of at breakfast time, and 2. Can be sort of bland if not properly seasoned or condimented {that's a legitimate word today, ok?} made for a thrilling new side dish.

Even though the husband wasn't so sure about the thought of pork chops over grits, he sure seemed to get on board quickly after a bite.

These grits are creamy and pungent with the blue cheese, and finish with a smoky richness from a few dashes of liquid smoke {an ingredient that I often tend to forget exists}.

It's an unexpected taste of something familiar; a "rut-breaker." And if nothing else, really yummy stuff.


Smoky Blue Cheese Grits 

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grits
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled -- extra for garnish if desired
1 1/4 teaspoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon butter

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water and half and half to a boil {watch it carefully as dairy has a tendency to bubble over when boiled.} Add salt.

2. Slowly whisk in grits. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to whisk continuously until substantially thickened, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Add blue cheese, liquid smoke and butter and continue to whisk until smooth and thickened to desired consistency. {I like my grits on the thicker side, but if you prefer a runnier texture you can add more liquid to achieve that.}

Serve hot with crumbled blue cheese over top.