The Year of Cozy - Book Review + Recipe

The Year of Cozy: 125 Recipes, Crafts, and Other Homemade Adventures by Adrianna Adarme

I'm a big fan of the word "cozy".  If the adjective is used to describe just about any item there's a pretty good chance of me buying it.  I love a rainy day where I don't have to go anywhere and can dream of curing up in comfy clothes, a warm blanket, and a good book.  I may not get to spend many days like that right now but it's high on my list of my idea for a perfect day.

So when I saw that Adrianna Adarme of one of my favorite blogs - A Cozy Kitchen - was coming out with a book called The Year of Cozy I knew I just had to get a copy and I haven't been disappointed.  For starters I loved that the book is divided into seasons.  I tend to associate coziness with colder months and I'm all about bringing some cozy into summer!

The book itself is absolutely gorgeous and one I don't want to stick in a shelf.  I have a feeling it will be sitting out where people can pick it up and flip through for quite some time.  Adarme's photos just look like a world I want to live in and her attitude towards life just infuses peach and relaxation into the pages.  She does do an introduction about how she came to be here writing a book on cozy.  Like so many of us she talks about getting so caught up in work and to do lists that she had put actually enjoying life onto the back burner.  She made it her mission to fix that and the blog and this book are the result.  I love her attitude.  She's not trying to push her likes on anyone else and most of her ideas take little to no money.  She talks a lot about new experiences and really taking a moment to enjoy what you are doing.  Plus she has a ridiculously cute Corgi who is quite photogenic!

Since I'm reading this in June I started with the June chapter and was met by pies!  Blackberry Walnut Crumble Pie, Classic Peach Pie,  and a delicious sounding Burnt Cherry and Vanilla Pie.  There are also recipes for Agua Frescas ( a fresh fruity drink), instructions for a "So Hangry" Kitchen Banner and Watercolored Burlap-Textured Coasters as well as Geometric-Etched Cocktail Glasses (that you can use to drink your Agua Fresca), several adventure ideas, and a recipe for a Homemade S'mores kit that includes recipes for Graham Crackers and homemade Marshmallows.  And that's just for June!  There's 11 more chapters just like this one!  Each one is filled with a mix of recipes, ideas, and crafts and each one is just bursting with gorgeous photos.

Today I thought I'd share a recipe that really caught my eye - Classic Peach Pie.  I haven't made it yet but the peaches are just starting to come in so I'm planning on buying a bunch at the Farmer's Market and making it next weekend.

Classic Peach Pie

Double Piecrust:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour + additional for working
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, frozen
3/4 cup very cold water, divided

To make the piecrust: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Using a box grater, grate the cold butter atop the flour mixture.  Working quickly and using your hands, brake the butter bits into the flour until evenly distributed and the size of small peas.
Add 1/2 cup of the water and mix.  Using your hands, dig in the bowl and knead the dough 3 to 5 times; you'll notice it will begin to come together.  If the mixture is still shaggy, add a tablespoon of water at a time until it comes together.  Flour your counter or work surface and dump the dough onto it.  Knead the dough a few more times and form it into a ball.  Cut the ball in half, and form each half into a 1" thick disk.  Wrap each disk with plastic wrap, and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 1/2 hours, or ideally overnight.
When the dough is done resting, remove the first disk from the fridge and allow it to shake off its chill for 10 minutes (this will make it easier to roll out).  Liberally flour your work surface and rolling pin.  Begin to roll out the dough to a 13" round that's about 1/8" thick, being sure to rotate it every so often to avoid sticking.  Wrap the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it over a 9" pie dish.  Gently fit the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish and trim, leaving a 1" overhang.  Transfer the piecrust to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes while you make the filling.

Filling:
5 to 6 firm yet ripe yellow peaches, sliced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
6 tablespoons tapioca flour
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon turbinado sugar (optional)

To make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the peaches, sugars, tapioca flour, bourbon, and salt.  Mix until the peaches are completely coated.

To assemble the pie: Remove the piecrust from the freezer and pour in the filling.  Take the second disk of pie doguh from the fridge, allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, and roll it out to another 13" round that's about 1/8" thick.  At this time you have some options.  You can cut the dough into strips for a lattice top, cut out small circles using a piping tip for a polka dot effect, or simply lay the dough on top of the pie and make slits on top.  Whatever top you choose, be sure to seal the top crust to the bottom by trimming the overhang and crimping the top and bottom crusts together.  Be sure to cut a vent to let out the steam.  Transfer the entire assembled pie to the freezer and chill for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425.

Brush the crust with the beaten egg, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and place the pie on a baking sheet.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Turn the heat down to 350 and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.  If at any time the edges of the pie crust turn a bit too dark, tent the edges with a sheet of foil.

Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing, 3 to 4 hours.

Doesn't that sound good!  Pie crust is not something I'm particularly confident about so I'm not entirely sure I'm going to make my own but her instructions are so clear that I might give a try.  I may add just a splash of vanilla as well because I love a little bit of a vanilla note with my peach pie.

I think just the smell of the pie cooking  will make my house seen a whole lot cozier on a humid June day!

I'm linking up with Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads