Nici Wickes: Peach & vanilla pie

This pie is so quick and easy to make, even with making your own pastry. The vanilla-scented peaches combine beautifully with the slightly tart crème fraiche. 
Makes 26cm pie
 Crumble
¼ cup icing sugar
¼ tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
6 tbps flour
55g chilled butter
 Filling
100g crème fraiche
4-6 peaches, quartered & de-stoned
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsps brown sugar
Pinch of salt
 

Use a shallow pie plate. Roll out pastry (recipe below) to fit, trim edges (or not for a more rustic look), prick base with fork all over and chill for 10 minutes while you make filling.
To make crumble, combine icing sugar, baking powder, salt and flour together in a small bowl. Rub in cold butter and work it until flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 220 C. Par bake chilled pastry by popping in middle of oven and baking for 12 minutes or until beginning to colour.
Spread half of creme fraiche over base. Sprinkle over one third of crumble.
Add peaches, sprinkled with sugar and salt and vanilla, then add remaining crumble and dots of remaining crème fraiche.
Reduce oven temperature to 200 C and bake for 35-45 minutes or until crumble topping and pastry is golden brown. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving, or do like I do and serve once cold (my favorite) with whipped cream.

 Easy flakey pastry
1 cup + 2 tbps plain flour
1 tbsp sugar
Pinch
110g butter, chilled & cubed
½ cup ice cold water
 Sift flour, sugar and salt into large mixing bowl. Rub in butter with fingertips (or do it in a food processor) until pea-sized butter lumps are still visible. Drizzle in ¼ cup of the water with one hand, working it in with other. Work pastry briefly and add more water until it comes together. Don’t overwork pastry – you ought to still see lumps of butter. Pat into disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.