Peach, Beet and Tarragon Pie with Homemade Vanilla Bean Chip Ice Cream

Peaches from Tom Towers Farm

Sunset Beets from Bozard Farm

Tarragon from Native Offerings

I came across this pie in search of Amish pie recipes. It called for cubes of soft cheese and other herbs and little crisp bits of sausage, but I was looking for something sweeter.

So I left out the the cheese and sausage and limited the bouquet of herbs down to one, the licorice flavored French Tarragon and one spice, cinnamon.

I reduced the sugar to one cup and added two extra pats of butter. The crust was crimped, washed with melted butter and cream and sprinkled liberally with cinnamon and sugar.

Baked for 40 minutes at 380 degrees, the pie was robust and savory. Couldn't tell by eye which were peach and which were beet after baking, but the flavors were noticeable enough. Mixed reviews from the family. However, since I love earthy and savory flavors, I really enjoyed it.

The vanilla bean chip ice cream was a snap to make. The bean soaked in hot water and then was minced and added to 1 pint of heavy cream, one cup of milk, 1/2 cup raw organic sugar and 2 tsp vanilla bean paste. Blended for 30 minutes in the ice cream maker, this soft ice cream was a great accompaniment to this unusual pie.