Peach season has come to Iowa. It waited until we returned from vacation, much to my relief, or we would have missed out on summer’s best dessert - fresh peach pie. This week, thanks to the impeccable timing of Mother Nature and the fruit farmers in South Carolina, Missouri, and Colorado, the Philo house is serving up fresh peach pie as often as possible.

Last night we had supper with my brother and his family, including Mom, and I brought a pie for dessert. Everyone eyed the last piece, which I saved back for my sister-in-law who was gone for the evening. “If she doesn’t want it,” my brother announced, “I know several people who do.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “It’s the taste of summer on a plate, isn’t it?”

That’s kinda what I was thinking,” he agreed.

If you want to taste summer on a plate, give this recipe a try. It is easy, and pretty low-cal for a dessert. But the peaches, not the cook, make or break the dish so select fruit with plenty of yellow and a healthy blush (not too red) and let them ripen until you smell them when you walk into the kitchen.

Fresh Peach Pie

Slice three large peaches into a nine inch baked pie shell. In a sauce pan, crush two large peaches. Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and three tablespoons of cornstarch and add to crushed peaches along with 1/2 cup water. Cook and stir constantly until mixture boils, thickens and turns clear. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring and stir. Pour hot mixture over sliced peaches in the pie shell. Chill, serve, and savor summer on a plate.