Have you seen Labor Day yet?
If you have, or even if you haven’t, you may have heard that a peach pie has a major role in this film!
Last weekend, I invited a good friend over to have coffee and my own Peach Pie and watch the movie on DVD.Though my pie did not turn out as perfect as the one in Labor Day, we had a great time! My friend loved the movie, especially the chemistry between the two main characters and the romance.
I found Labor Day to be a movie that illustrates how life can change in just a second. Each one of us has to decide for ourselves what chances to take, and oftentimes following your gut and your heart will take you places you never imagined or dreamed possible. Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin are excellent in this drama that is about life and love, and about coming of age for Henry, brilliantly played by Gattlin Griffith.
Each of the main characters in the movie undergoes a transformation. When it opens, Adele (Winslet) has been paralyzed with grief and depression over events in her life. Frank (Brolin), the stranger who enters Adele and Henry’s lives unexpectedly as he jumps out a hospital window to escape from prison has been leading an empty existence and Henry is struggling to understand adolescence and having to become an adult way too early.
I don’t want to spoil it for you as it’s now on DVD and you can check it out! I found it fascinating how just five days can change a life forever and a peach pie can be so much more than just dessert.
Speaking of peach pie, one of my favorite scenes is the “peach pie baking scene”. It’s a very sensual scene somewhat reminiscent of the pottery scene in Ghost, yet it has its own special “flavor”.
The recipe for the pie comes from author (of the book, Labor Day) Joyce Maynard’s mom, and Maynard taught Brolin and Winslet how to make that very same pie for Labor Day. The above photo shows Maynard (in the red sweater) sharing her recipe with Kate and Josh and the dialogue in the scene comes from her own special tips. To become confident for the scene, Brolin’s character, Frank, baked a pie every day on the set so it would be authentic. And it is!
For those who want to learn how to make the peach pie Josh Brolin made in Labor Day, the recipe follows:
Ingredients
- 3 pounds peaches
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
- 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon chilled butter, cut into pieces
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water
- 2 tablespoons Minute tapioca (plus 2 additional tbsp to stir into peaches)
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Stir in 2 tbsp Minute Tapioca to help absorb juices. Let stand, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, work in the shortening and 1 stick of butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the ice water over the flour mixture, stirring gently with a fork. Continue adding the water just until the dough holds together. Shape the dough into a ball and divide it into two discs, one slightly larger than the other.
- Place the smaller disc on a sheet of waxed paper, and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, dust it lightly with more flour. Lay a 9- to 10-inch pie pan face down on top of the circle; flip the pan over and remove the paper. For the crust, on a sheet of waxed paper, roll out the other disc to form a 14-inch circle. Do not roll the dough more than necessary.
- Sprinkle the tapioca on the bottom crust. Add the filling, mounding it in the center, and dot with 1 tablespoon butter. Lift the waxed paper with the remaining crust and flip it over the filling. Peel back waxed paper. Trim the edges of the crusts and pinch together the top and bottom crusts. Optional: Roll out the trimmings and cut into decorative shapes. Brush the pie with the egg, and arrange the shapes on the crust. Sprinkle with sugar. Poke fork holes or cut vents in the top crust. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
Pie doesn’t have to look pretty, just has to look good! Glad you enjoyed the movie. That one scene looks HOT!
That pie looks fantastic! I haven’t made a pie in ages, but now I’ve got the fever!!! I love the trivia about Josh Brolin baking a pie every day on the set!! I will dazzle my friends with that tidbit at a later date!! 🙂
Thanks for the post. I haven’t heard anything about this movie….I will definitely have to check it out….as well as the pie!
Haahhaah. I’m not too bright today. Great post!
Peach pie sounds amazing right now! Such a perfect summer treat. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but it is on our list for date night.
I haven’t seen it!! Now I want to AND I am totally going to eat that pie while doing so!! So yummy!!
Sounds great. Honestly, the movies looks good, but the pie looks absolutely awesome! I adore peaches and I can’t wait until the crop comes in here! Perhaps I’ll give this pie a go!
This movie does sound very interesting and one that I would like to see. I think the peach pie looks delicious also!
I’m looking forward to seeing the movie!
What a lovely peach pie! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
I don’t think I’ve heard of this movie. Now I can’t wait for some fresh peaches to make a pie.
I adore peach pie! What a great summer treat!
I love peach pie (and blueberry is a close second) Thanks for the recipe.
Love summer peaches! Peach pie sounds fabulous!
I’ve heard a lot about this movie but haven’t seen it yet. I’m a big fan of peach pie too, so win-win I guess 😉
I don’t understand how this movie received so many bad reviews from the critics. I thought it was very sad and touching!
I completely agree!
Somehow I have completely missed this movie coming out. Will definitely look for it now sounds like a good one.
The movie is not here yet! Looks like something to looks out for!
I could go for a slice of that pie (a la mode) right now! It’s great when they come out pretty, but in the long run it is the taste that matters.
I haven’t seen Labor Day but I will soon. It looks like a great love story.
I’ve been meaning to check out this movie, Josh Brolin is so good looking in it!
Kate Winslet is a great actress! That pie looks yummy too.
This movie looks really good…and so does that pie!
Looks delicious! I am planning to make peach pie as soon as the local peaches are ripe.
I watched that recently and I really enjoyed it too. It’s amazing how things changed from the first moment in the movie to the last.
I actually loved this movie! Your peach pie looks delicious!
I’ve been craving peach pie a lot lately and yours look so good!
I’ll have to check out this movie as I love Josh Brolin (peach pie is also pretty darn good too)
This peach pie recipe is amazing and easy to make. I love Peach Pie and this movie Labor Day looks like a great movie to see with my sister. Thanks for the recipe.
Looks delicious! Jersey gets the best peaches, something to look forward to at the end of summer!
I can’t wait to see this movie! I saw the previews on tv and thought it looked so good. Speaking of good, that peach pie looks delicious. I’ve made pies that have a graham cracker crust but never an “real” pie. I’d like to try it sometime.
(Labor Day and a wonderful recipe for Peach Pie) I have been wanting to see the movie, the peach pie looks and sounds pretty good too! 🙂
What a fantastic recipe! I love to make pies and thank you for posting such a great recipe!
Thanks for reminding me, I had forgotten about this movie until I seen your article. I’ll be renting this soon. How fun that you had your friend over to watch the movie and have pie. I have never made a peach pie, but this recipe sounds pretty yummy!
This recipe looks easy enough for me and a great way for me to treat the family. Thanks for sharing!
Mmmm… I love a good peach pie topped with vanilla bean ice cream. I will be pinning this recipe for sure
Peach pie is one of my favorites!
oh i think im going to pick some peaches up tmw and try this out .. looks tasty
Absolutely LOVE this movie! Their chemistry is so great, we enjoyed all of it, especially the pie scene. So cool to find this article where the recipe is shared and also to learn that Brolin baked a pie each day on scene. Very cool! I’m off to buy peaches for a fun night at home reenacting this scene with my man!!
I stumbled on to this movie and enjoyed it. When I found the pie recipe was online, I landed here.
Will try the pie recipe and wonder if other fruits can be substituted?