It's National Peach Month ya'll . . . and yup, I added fresh basil to a peach pie . . . and it works!  Oh how it works.  A friend shared a juicy abundance of fresh peaches with me last week and they were finally ripe.  I also happen to have an abundance of basil in the garden.

The idea of pairing fresh herbs with fruit was already on my mind, so I cut some mint and basil from the garden and tried each herb with a slice of peach.  Basil won.

And because what is cuter than a personal peach pie, I chose to make them in ramekins.  This makes it easier to share with friends too.  Note that I used a crust only on the top of the pie.  This is my sneaky way of cutting calories.  And since there is only one crust, I made it extra special by weaving it into a lattice pattern.  It's really easy to do.  Thin strips of dough are woven together and brushed with egg white and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

The basic fruit pie recipe is from my grandmother.  You'll notice it uses tapioca as the thickener.  It was just the way we always made pies.  She is gone now, but I wish I could ask her why she chose that ingredient.  It does produce a very clear, bright filling.

Ingredients (for six little pies):

• 8 medium peaches, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup instant tapioca
• 1/2 cup sugar
• dash of cinnamon
• refrigerated pie crust (or make your favorite recipe)
• 2 tablespoons chopped basil
• egg white

To Make:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place sliced peaches in a large bowl.  Add sugar, basil and tapioca and mix.  Let sit for at about 10 minutes.
3. Slice pie crust into narrow 1/2 inch slices and create six lattice crust toppers.  Use an empty ramekin to measure size before cutting.
4. Divide peach mixture between ramekins.  Top each with a crust.
5. Beat egg white and brush onto tops of crust.  Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
6. Bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes or until crust browns.

Enjoy!