Strawberry Peach Basil Not-Exactly-Slab-More-Like-Brick Pie

This particular pie was intended to be a slab pie – I’ve been enamored with all the slab pies that Smitten Kitchen has posted over the years, and I’m just now getting around to making one. As it turns out, I still have yet to actually make one, because when one is overzealous with one’s filling quantities, one ends up make more of a thick brick pie than a thin slab pie. Unlike a slab pie (which I do still aspire to make!), this pie is not finger food. Which clearly didn’t seem to bother anyone at the party we took it to:

…. 3 hours later

Strawberry Peach Basil Slab Brick Pie (made 12/4/15)

1 ½ batches of (double) pie crust
4 c. peaches (fresh, or thawed from frozen as mine were)
4 c. strawberries (fresh, or thawed from frozen as mine were)
1/3 c. cornstarch (slightly less if using fresh fruit)
1 c. sugar
1 to 3 Tbsp. fresh, finely chopped basil (I used 1 Tbsp. this time, but it was extremely understated. In the future, I’d increase the amount to 3 Tbsp.)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13” pan with pan spray.

Roll half the pie dough into a rectangle approximately 13 inches x 17 inches. Place the rolled out crust into the 9×13 pan, easing into the corners and allowing the edges to come up (and over, if needed) the sides of the dish.

In a large bowl, mix together the fruit, cornstarch, sugar, basil, and lemon juice. Pour into prepared crust.

Roll remaining pie dough into a rectangle about 11 inches by 15 inches. Dampen the edges of the bottom crust. Place top crust over filling. Seal the two crusts together and fold inward to crimp. Cut several vent holes in the upper crust.

Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for approximately 75 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. (I think my oven may run a little on the cool side, so begin checking around 60 minutes.) Cool an hour (or as long as you can stand) before serving to allow the filling to thicken and set up.