Roasted Peach Drizzle

It is barely still peach season but before our minds turn to winter squash and pumpkins, here's one more peach recipe--not quite a syrup and not a fruit butter, but a "drizzle". Although it is a canning recipe, the peaches can be roasted, refrigerated, and used within the week. You could freeze the sauce, too, if you don't want to spend time canning. This is fantastic on Sweet Zucchini Waffles with fresh peach slices and whipped cream. If you don't have fresh peaches, you could use raspberries instead and fashion a peach-melba topping for waffles or for ice cream. This is a great recipe for someone who suffers from peach peeling fatigue--the skin remains on the fruit while roasting and is blended with the peaches.

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Roasted Peach Drizzle

Adapted from foodinjars.com

Yield: 3-3 1/2 pints

This can be halved or quartered. 

8 c peach pieces, skin included

2 c sugar

2 vanilla pods, scraped
juice of 1 lemon

Place peaches, sugar, and vanilla in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Roast in the oven at 350Fwithout a lid for 2-2 1/2 hours. Let cool slightly and blend with blender or stick blender until smooth. Add lemon juice and stir. Return to burner and bring back to a simmer. When simmering, place sauce in hot half pint jars (or half cup) with 1/2-inch headspace, check for air bubbles, clean the jar rims. Place lids (that have been softened in boiling water) on top of clean jars and top with rings. Place in a water bath canner and process for 10 minutes at sea level (for added altitude timing, see below).

1,001-3,000 ft--5 additional minutes

3,001-6,000 ft--10 additional minutes

6,001-8,000 ft--15 additional minutes

8,001-10,000 ft--20 additional minutes

When the time has passed, turn off heat, remove lid and allow jars to rest in the water for 5-10 minutes. Remove jars from hot water and place on a towel in a spot where they can remain undisturbed for 24 hours. Store and use within a year. If the drizzle separates a bit give it a good stir before serving.

Peach Poundcake

I know it's October, but it is still firmly harvest season for me, and I'm nursing a few more peach desserts out of the quarter bushel of peaches slowly going bad in my fridge. Here was a decadent one I tried recently. The simple peach glaze on this cake is out of this world. Judging from the picture on the original recipe, I need to make more of it next time. 

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Peach Poundcake

Source: New York Times Cooking 

Yield: one 9X5 cake

The recipe specifies red-hued peaches. The bolder the color of the peaches you use, the more blush will color the glaze will have. However, if you are bothered by tiny flecks of skin you can peel the peaches. Don't let current shopping difficulties keep you from trying this cake. You can even use frozen peaches.

To bake at altitudes around 5000 feet, make these changes:

add 2 1/2 T flour

remove 1 1/2 T granulated sugar

1 c unsalted butter (2 sticks) melted and cooled to room temperature, plus more for the pan

2 1/2 c all purpose flour, plus more for the pan

3 medium, ripe, red-hued peaches (about a pound)

1 T fresh lemon juice

3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, beaten

1 1/2 teas vanilla extract

1 c unsifted confectioners' sugar, plus more as needed

1 1/2 c granulated sugar

2 1/2 teas baking powder

3/4 teas kosher salt

Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a 9X5 loaf pan by lightly buttering and flouring it.

Dice 1 peach into 1/3-inch pieces. Use a paper towel to pat them dry and set them aside. 

Place the remaining 2 peaches and the lemon juice in a food processor or blender and purée them by running on high. Place 1 level cup of the purée into a mixing bowl followed by the butter, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Combine with a whisk.

Scrape down the sides of the processor or blender and make the icing with the remaining peach purée. Add  1 c confectioners' sugar to the purée and blend on high until well mixed. The glaze should be thick but a consistency that can be drizzled. To adjust add more sugar or water. Set aside, covered, until time to glaze the cake.

Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the peach mixture to the flour mixture and whisk or stir well until well combined. Fold in the diced peaches. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Use the spatula to even out the top of the cake. Move to the oven and bake until the cake is crusty and golden brown about 75-80 minutes. Text by inserting a toothpick in the center. It should come out clean. Remove the cake from the oven. After 10 minutes cooling in the pan invert the cake and carefully remove it from the pan and place it on a cooling rack . 

While the cake is still warm, stir the icing one more time and spread or drizzle it over the top of the cake. Allow the extra to drizzle down the sides. 

Completely cool the cake and slice and serve. You can gild the lily by serving with peaches and cream.

Tightly wrap the leftovers and store on the counter for no more than 3 days if it makes it that long.

Baked Peach Oatmeal with Almonds

One more summertime oatmeal recipe.

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Baked Peach Oatmeal with Almonds

Adapted from:  https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/baked-peach-almond-oatmeal/
Yields:  6-9 servings

2 c rolled oats
1/4 c light brown sugar
1 teas baking powder
1/2 teas salt
1 teas cinnamon
1/2 c chopped almonds
2 c milk,  any kind but almond milk might be particularly good
1 large egg
3 T coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly, or 3 T melted and cooled butter
1 teas vanilla extract
1/4 teas almond extract
1 1/2 c chopped peaches
Peach slices for the top, optional

Oil or butter an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish. Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and almonds in a medium bowl.

Mix the milk, egg, coconut oil (or butter), and extracts in another bowl. Pour over the oat mixture and stir until combined.

Spread the chopped peaches on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with the oatmeal mixture and even it with an offset or rubber spatula. Top the pan with peach slices, if desired.

Bake for 40 minutes; the oatmeal should be set and the top be golden. Let it cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.

Notes:

This is not a particularly sweet version of baked oatmeal which suits me fine, but I wager many people might like it a bit sweeter. You could add another tablespoon or two of sugar without a problem. Or you might offer a bit of maple syrup when you serve it. If you have some Peach Drizzle, this would be a great use for it.

You can double this recipe and place ingredients in a 9X13 pan.

Next time, I may use 2 cups chopped peaches, especially if I have an abundance of fruit.

This can be easily reheated in the microwave but you may want to stir in a bit of milk for creaminess.

Peach Drop Biscuits

I look forward to Saturday mornings this time of year. Usually I forgo sleeping in to visit two local farmers markets, and upon arriving back home I gleefully show my purchases to my family. They are typically unimpressed. In fact, only a few people understand the joy that big farmers' market hauls bring to me--but that doesn't lessen my delight one bit!

This year, though, I have opted to stay home to avoid crowds. I have discovered a couple of workable alternatives, and between my half-CSA share, a farm stand, and a weekly farm delivery order option I have managed to enjoy many of my normal harvest-time fruits and veggies. I visited the farm stand about a week ago, and came home with a half-bushel of peaches, a quarter-bushel of pears, and an eighth-bushel of pluots. It was too much, really, but I just couldn't help myself. So, I was suddenly baking peach goodies whenever I had time. 

The texture of this "biscuit" is lovely. Crusty on the outside but tender on the inside. I even used it as a base for peach shortcake one night. 

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Peach Drop Biscuits

Yields 12 biscuits (I doubled it for my big family, so halve it if you don't need this many)
Adapted minimally from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021175-strawberry-drop-biscuits

1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 c white whole wheat flour
1/2 c granulated sugar
8 teas baking powder
12 T cold salted butter, but into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/3 c peaches, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
3/4 c heavy cream, divided
1/2 c powdered sugar

Heat the oven to 425F, and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Stir the pieces of butter into the mixture, just to coat the butter. Then work the butter into the flour with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the pieces of butter are no larger than a pea. 

Add the peaches, and stir gently. Add 1/2 c cream and 1/2 c water, then toss with a fork until the dough is just wet. If the dough is still too dry, add a couple of teaspoons water. 

Drop the dough in generous 1/3 c amounts onto sheets, leaving at least 1 1/2 inches of space between each mound. Brush the tops with 2 T cream before baking for about 15 minutes. The biscuits should be golden brown. Place the biscuits on a wire rack to cool.

As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven, whisk the powdered sugar with the remaining 2 T cream. This should make a thick icing. Drizzle the icing over the warm biscuits, and enjoy. 

Ginger Mascarpone Icebox Cake with Peaches

Here is another ginger and peach combo. The recipe comes from the final cookbook in a series that was published for seven years or so; they were titled The Best American Recipes of..... (whatever year) . Annually test cooks gathered what they thought were the best recipes from all the cookbooks published that year. In 2006 they published the book The 150 Best American Recipes which the editors considered the best of the best. The following recipe made the cut, although I added the peaches. I'm sure the cake could be served with any fruit that tastes good with ginger such as mangos or poached pears.

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Ginger Mascarpone Icebox Cake with Peaches

Serves 12

Make a day ahead.

2 c gingersnap crumbs from about 36 Nabisco gingersnaps, most easily done in a food processor
5 T unsalted butter, melted
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c plain low-fat yogurt (I used full-fat yogurt because that is what I had on hand)
2/3 c sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 c minced crystallized ginger
1 pound mascarpone (found in the deli cheese case in most grocery stores)
1/3 c heavy cream

Peaches
ginger simple syrup (below)

Spray a 9-inch spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter it lightly. Dust the pan with a little sugar and shake out any excess.

In a medium bowl, combine the gingersnap crumbs and butter, rubbing them together with your fingertips to combine thoroughly. If you run the gingersnaps through the food processor, just pour the butter in and pulse a few times. Sprinkle half of the crumbs over the bottom of the pan and pat down evenly; reserve the rest.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, whip together the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, vanilla, and ginger until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the mascarpone and cream and whip until the mixture is thoroughly combined and just holds peaks. Don't over whip, or the mixture may separate. Carefully spoon  the mixture over the crust, spreading it evenly to the edge of the pan, smoothing the top as best you can. Let the cake sit covered in the refrigerator overnight. About an hour before serving, top with the remaining crumbs, pressing gently down on them to make them somewhat cohesive. Serve cold with gingered sauced peaches (optional).

Ginger Sauced Peaches

This is my own addition, and I've never served this to 12 diners at one sitting. I make the simple syrup, let it infuse the fresh ginger, and cut enough peaches for the number of guests I'm serving, about 1/2 large peach each.

For the sauce:

1 c sugar
1/2 c water

Bring to a boil and stir to make sure the sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat. Peel and slice an inch piece of fresh ginger and place in the hot liquid. Leave the lid on and let it infuse for 30 minutes. Remove ginger slices. When completely cool, peel and slice peaches and drizzle 2 T syrup per peach over the fruit in a bowl and allow to macerate for at least 30 minutes.

Slice the cake and place on a serving plate and add a large spoonful of peach slices on the side, spooning a little of the sauce over the fruit.

Note:

Mascarpone is fairly expensive and may be hard to find. I haven't tested it, but I think you could substitute cream cheese (using a total of three 8 oz. packages), but you might need to add an addition 1 or 2 T sugar since cream cheese is more tangy. I don't think it would change the texture much.

Peach Cobbler with Hot Sugar Crust

This recipe uses a technique which was new to me, except in hot pudding cakes. On first glance it appears it won't work. But this cobbler sports a lovely, crisp topping.

Unless you are serving a large group, I recommend you half this recipe and bake in an 8X8 pan. The cobbler is best right after baking and for a day or two afterwards; any longer and the topping will lose its crunch.

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Peach Cobbler with Hot Sugar Crust

No modifications were made for altitude and it turned out great.

Adapted from Food52.com
Serves 10 or more

10 large ripe peaches (about 4 1/2 pds), pitted but not peeled and cut into chunks about an inch in size
1 large lemon
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
2 c sugar, divided
1 1/2 c AP flour
2 teas baking powder
1 teas kosher salt (or 1/2 teas table salt)
3/4 c whole milk
1/2 c hot water
Heavy cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350F with a rack in the middle

Place the peaches in a buttered 9X13 baking dish. Using a microplane, zest the lemon evenly over the fruit. Squeeze the lemon and drizzle 1/4 cup of the juice over the fruit as well.

Cream the butter and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar on medium for a minute or so, until it is creamy but sandy. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt, and on medium speed, beat until incorporated and all is crumbly (30 seconds or more). Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Slowly pour in the milk while the mixer is on low speed. Beat a couple of minutes until the batter is light and fluffy.

Use a large spoon or the rubber spatula to drop 6 large portions of the mix over the peaches. (Make sure you get all the batter.) Carefully spread the batter with an offset spatula so that all the fruit is covered. Try to spread it evenly so that it is all about 1/2 inch thick overall.

Take the remaining half cup of sugar and sprinkle it evenly over the batter. In a small stream, drizzle the sugar topped batter with the hot water which will melt the sugar.

Place the pan on top of a large baking sheet and place both in the oven. Bake the cobbler until the top is crackly and golden brown, about 70-80 minutes. Use a toothpick to test; it will come out clean or with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Check in several spots.

Allow the cobbler to cool for about 30 minutes. Serve it warm with the cream poured over the top. If you have leftovers, cover and refrigerate.