Ginger Peach Sunshine Pie

Dinner party: basil oil roast chicken & ginger peach pie. A good son cooks his parents' 30th wedding anniversary dinner

9 ingredients•Prep: 45 mins•Cook: 1 hr

Ryan Nordheimer•

November 4, 2025

My parents got married in the tail-end of June. Those days when the allure of late spring all too quickly melts away into a sad puddle of humidity. On their wedding day in 1995 it was humid. And on their 30th wedding anniversary in 2025 it was just as humid. So let me ask you: why would I choose to step outside and spend one singular minute at a grill (inferno in cooking appliance form) singing my eyebrow and arm hairs off? I say no thank you.

Instead, I made the more reasonable choice to cook all of summer’s greatest abundance (peaches, tomatoes, basil, zucchini) within the confines of my parents’ (small) indoor kitchen.

The guests were a special bunch: my parents, my grandma who was visiting from Florida, my aunt, my uncle, and my cousin/social media marketing intern who does almost nothing but asks me for money ceaselessly.

To craft my menu, I was aiming for elegant yet fun, simple flavors yet not boring, summery yet…well, summery. And since I was cooking in my parents’ kitchen, I thought let’s bring back one of my viral recipes from when I used to live at home: my ginger peach pie. Now I can’t say for sure, but I think this pie is responsible for my Instagram account shooting up from around 25k followers to 120k followers within the span of a week back in 2022. And understandably so. A stunning, golden circular lattice with a perfect balance of sweet peach and spicy ginger. With some vanilla ice cream (my mom’s favorite), I thought it was a perfect dessert choice.

And for the entree, I was inspired by countless videos of herb oil I’d seen on my social media feeds. Beautifully verdant oil that tinges crudos with stunning hues that only fat can imbue. I thought why not drown a perfectly cooked roast chicken in a basil oil, enhanced with toasted garlic, sesame, and lemon juice. An elevated and somewhat restaurant-y version of a green sauce.

Other sides I served included: classic bruschetta, corn cobs I slathered with hot honey butter and garnished with crushed corn nuts, and a labneh-dressed little gem pea salad.

The buffet was set. The food delicious. And then the night turned a little sideways with some reasonable table side political discourse regarding migration, Mamdani’s primary election win, and Biden’s presidential legacy. Discussion turns to argument, you know the drill. Some family members stormed out of the house a bit early and missed out on the pie, but that’s what family occasions are all about, right? More slices for me.

For the love of family drama,

Ryan

Instructions

Slice your peaches (5 medium) into 1/4” thick slices. Add to a large bowl with the sugar (½ cup) and salt (½ tsp). Toss and let sit for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.
Roll out 1 pie dough into a large, thin circle, about 12” in diameter. Transfer into a standard 9” pie plate (not deep dish). Let the dough drape into the pie plate and then press into the dish. Transfer to the fridge.
Roll out the other pie dough into a large, thin rectangle, about 9” x 13”. On a well-floured surface, use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut the dough into long thin ribbons, about 1/4” thick.
Transfer the ribbons one by one to a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them out a little. Transfer to the fridge.
Preheat oven to 425 °F with a rack in the lower third.
Drain the juices from the peach bowl into a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half and syrupy.
Add the reduced juices back to the peaches. Toss in the lemon juice (1 Tbsp), ginger (2 Tbsp), and cornstarch (2 Tbsp).
Dump the peach mixture into the dough-fitted pie plate, pressing down into an even flat layer. They should just come up to the rim of the pan, not over.
Place a greased round circle cutter or a shot glass in the center of the pie. Brush the egg (1) around the rim of the pie crust. Take the strips of pie dough out of the fridge and arrange them tangentially around the center ring, working clockwise and bending them slightly until all strips are used.
Carefully brush the strips with egg wash and sprinkle with the raw sugar (¼ cup). Using a pair of scissors, trim away the excess dough around the edge of the pie plate.
Transfer the pie to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until top and bottom crusts are golden brown, about 1 hour. Cover with aluminum foil during baking if the top is getting too dark.
Let cool at room temperature for a few hours. Pie can be served warm, room temperature, or reheated.