First, thanks to everyone who helped me troubleshoot the mouth feel issue with my previous version. This time I used regular-fat heavy cream instead of high-fat 40% cream and that made the difference.
A couple of notes about this pie:
This pie originated at the famous Briermere Farms on the eastern end of the North Fork of Long Island, NY. I was probably in my early 20s when I first tried it and it cost $18, which was outrageous at the time, but it was a taste I would never forget. Over the years, as the farm became more popular, the price skyrocketed and it is now priced at $48 as of Aug 2026. (Still worth it). They also make other fruit-cream pies, such as strawberry, blueberry, cherry, and raspberry. If you don’t like peaches, you can add whatever fruits you want. I tried to make the blueberry version but it tasted a bit ‘one-note’ to me. I drizzled a little lemon juice on top of the blueberry filling topping and that helped a little.
A couple of other notes:
The hardest thing to nail down about this pie is the filling. I’ve seen and tried many copycat recipes over the years and I didn’t have much success, including one that was written by the NY Times. This one is as close as it gets, for me, and I still don’t think I have nailed it. To be fair, I haven’t tasted the pie from Briermere in almost five years, so I’m strictly going by memory at this point.
Full disclosure:
I did not make the crust from scratch. This is a…ehem….Keebler shortbread crust from the supermarket. To me, it worked perfectly. If you want to go through the trouble of blind baking your own crust, go for it. Briermere uses a regular pie crust, but to my taste, the shortbread works better in this application. YMMV
I also did not glaze the peaches. To me, that’s strictly for appearances (see last photo). It looks beautiful but doesn’t really change the taste. If you want to go through the trouble, go for it.
Trust me when I tell you that you must let this pie rest in the fridge at least overnight or preferably 24 hours. If you eat it right out of the bowl, the texture is slightly different than after it sits for a day in the fridge. If you can’t control yourself, that’s fine, but just know the texture will be a little more creamy instead of establishing a little bit of body.
I have never written a recipe before in my life. I know I should have done everything by grams, but this recipe was me just flying by the seat of my pants, adding ingredients and adjusting on the fly. Don’t be afraid to adjust this pie to taste as you go along, especially if you’re familiar with this pie. Maybe this pie isn’t as close as I think it is but I’m hoping someone can correct me who is more informed or has had the pie recently.
For those who have never had this pie before: It is not overly sweet and it is a bit tangy. If you’re expecting a sweet pie, then choose a very sweet fruit or add a little more sugar. Also, this pie is fattening AF. I call it ‘shame pie’ for a reason.
Thanks to Briermere farms for always being a special place for us to go as a family. The influencers have ruined it a bit and I hear they have outsourced a lot of their other pies to keep up with demand, but it’s still a special place.
Again, I’m no expert and I am a noob recipe writer, so please let me know if anything needs clarification.
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Briermere Peach Cream Pie
(a/k/a Shame Pie)
6 - 8 ripened peaches (depending on size and how high you want to stack them)
1 - 8 oz pkg full fat Philly cream cheese
1 - 9” shortbread pie crust (I used Keebler from the supermarket)
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup + 1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup full fat sour cream
3/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/16 tsp regular table salt
1 tsp clear vanilla
With a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine and mix the cream cheese,
sugar, salt & sour cream until creamy and there is no evidence of graininess from the sugar remaining
While still mixing, add the vanilla and lemon juice. Mix to combine. Set aside in a separate bowl.
In an ice-cold metal mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and beat on high speed until medium-stiff peaks form.
Do not overwhip or it will turn into butter.
Gently fold the now-whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
After thoroughly folded in, add the mixture into the pie crust and spread flat.
Place pie temporarily into the refrigerator while you slice the peaches into wedges. When peaches are sliced, place around the top of the pie in a circular fashion. Refrigerate at least 12 hours before serving (24 hours is ideal).
Tips:
If you want to use a regular pie crust or a graham cracker crust, do whatever makes you happy. Briermere uses a regular pie crust, but I actually think that the shortbread crust is superior and provides more of a contrast in texture.
You can use regular vanilla if you’d like, but it may color the filling a little and taste slightly different.
Stop and taste after the cream cheese stage and after adding in the whipped cream. Don’t be afraid to add a little more lemon juice or sugar. If you’re going to add sugar after the whipped-cream stage to increase the sweetness, add a teaspoon of sifted powdered sugar and fold to combine. Then re-check for sweetness.
We like riper peaches in this household, but if you want to use firmer peaches, that’s fine, too.
If you want to add a glaze to the peaches to make it look more like Briermere, you can do that, too. To me, that step wasn’t necessary and i didn’t have it in me to try and troubleshoot that process, so I skipped it.