Fried Honey Almond Peach Pies

One of my happiest memories is when I was in seventh grade, after having moved here from Montana, getting to go horseback riding through neighborhood peach orchards. It was about 10 degrees cooler under the shade of the trees, it smelled amazing, and don't tell anyone, but we would help ourselves to a peach or two. To be honest, while it's romantic to think about now, I do recall having the juice running down my elbow, producing insanely sticky arms that then of course, got caked in horse hair, which in turn became a beacon for horse flies. Regardless, peach pies are a perfect way to conjure up those summertime, childhood memories, and fried peach pies, just make it all the more delicious.

Fried Honey Almond Peach Pies
Ingredients
Crust:
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/4 C whole milk
2 T ice water
1 tsp lemon juice

Filling:
2 very ripe peaches, chopped coarsely
2 T unsalted butter
2 T honey
pinch salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp instant tapioca
1/2 tube almond paste, sliced into thin (about 1/4-inch or thinner) disks

Peanut oil for frying
1/2 C granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 tsp allspice for dredging

Make the crust first by pulsing flour, salt and butter in a food processor until it resembles a coarse meal. Remove the bowl from the stand and create a well in the center like you would for making pasta. Add the whole milk and lemon juice to the well, and mix lightly with a fork until just combined. 

Use ice water as needed to gather the dough together. It should just barely come together--do not knead or otherwise overwork. Form into a ball and place into a large ziplock bag. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Start by placing the butter in a stainless steel pan over medium heat, swirling/stirring until the butter smells really fragrant and turns amber.

 Add the chopped peaches, honey, salt, lemon juice and tapioca. Continue to stir periodically and cook down until jammy. This will probably take about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in the refrigerator to cool.

When the dough has been chilled for at least an hour, remove from the refrigerator, and place on a plastic sheet or parchment paper. Flatten into a disk, and place another sheet on top. Roll out the dough until it is very thin, about 1/4-inch. Cut into rectangles, about 3 x 5 inches. Place a disk of almond paste onto the lower portion of each rectangle. Top with about a tablespoon of the chilled filling. Fold the dough over and crimp the edges with a fork to bind the pie together.

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Make sure there is enough oil for at least an inch of depth. Place the pies in the oil, giving them enough room so that they do not touch. Cook 3 minutes, turn each pie over, and cook another 2 minutes. 

Pies should be lightly browned. Remove to a rack to cool and drip off excess oil, for about 5 minutes. Dredge in spiced sugar and serve warm.