Peach Crisp

I've been working on a good basic crisp recipe.  This version turned out really good.  I like peaches to taste like peaches (no lemon) and the spices to be added to a crisp topping. I've  always loved a scoop of ice cream with warm fruit desserts.  But I'm trying to leave it off once in a while.  Notice that empty space in the bowl where the ice cream would be.  And notice that cold fresh glass of skim milk that took its place. It was delicious!  I wouldn't even want ice cream with this recipe.  That cold milk was just the refreshing drink that was perfect between bites of hot fruity peach crisp.  I baked it to the maximum time to get the topping crisp.  This is half of the usual amount of crisp because I'm trying to have fewer leftovers.  It made about 4 servings.

 Recipe:

PEACH CRISP

Preheat oven to 350 degrees,
Makes about 4 servings

Filling:

2 lb. fresh peaches, peeled and cut up
2 Tblsp. granulated sugar
1 Tblsp. all-purpose flour

Topping:

1/4 cup and 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup and 2 Tblsp. Old-fashioned oats
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg (I use freshly-grated nutmeg)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1-1/2 quart baking dish.
To make the filling:  peel peaches and cut them into wedges. Then cut the wedges in half.

Mix the peaches with the 2 tblsp. sugar and 1 tblsp. flour. Put them into the buttered baking dish.

To make the topping:  Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt and spices.  Mix in the butter with a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers until butter is evenly mixed in.  Chop the chopped hazelnuts until smaller. (I had a bag of prechopped hazelnuts but wanted them smaller.)

Mix the nuts into the dry ingredients.  Put the topping evenly over the fruit and slide into oven.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes until crust is browned and peaches are bubbling.

This is really delicious  and juicy when warm-and so easy to prepare. I love the bites of hazelnut in the topping.
 

Peach and Blackberry Galette

Peaches are still plentiful.   This week I tried peaches and blackberries in a rustic tart. My husband loved this combination of sweet peaches and the bit of tang from blackberries. The amount of sugar used in the fillings depends on the sweetness of the fruit.  Some recipes call for the addition of flour to the fruit. This does not contain any and I didn't feel it needed it. The short bake time helps keep the juices in the fruits. You don't have to overlap the dough quite as much as I did.  .

My very favorite way to eat this is hot with vanilla ice cream melting over every bite.

 I tried a slice at room temperature with vanilla glaze over it-- delicious with a hot sweet cup of tea!

Peach and Blackberry Galette

Filling

3 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1-1/2 cups fresh blackberries
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar (or more-depending on sweetness of fruit)
1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional

Crust

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled
1/4 to 1/3 cup cold water

1 egg, beaten

Granulated sugar for sprinkling

To make the crust, combine the dry ingredients.  Cut in butter as for a pie crust until particles are in coarse crumbs no larger than small peas. Sprinkle the cold water over the mixture, stirring it in with a fork.  Add more water as needed until the dough holds together when pressed together.  Avoid overworking the dough. Lightly form into a thick disk.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator about an hour.

To make the filling, mix the dry ingredients together.  Mix them lightly with the prepared fruit and refrigerate until needed.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about a 12 to 14-inch circle.  Scoop the fruit, without its juice, onto the center of the dough.   Spread the fruit to about 3 inches from the outer edge of the dough.  Fold the dough up over the outer edge of the fruit all around.  Add a couple spoonfuls of the fruit's juice over the fruit.  Brush the top of the dough with the beaten egg. Sprinkle lightly with sugar over the crust.  Bake 25 to 35 minutes until lightly browned. Test peach with fork to check for tenderness.  Serve warm with ice cream or drizzle with a vanilla glaze.

vanilla glaze:  1 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tblsp. half and half or light cream, 1/4 tsp. vanilla
                         Mix together until smooth. Drizzle over galette

Roasted Peaches

I've been away for a while.  Peach season seems like a good time to come back.  We live near an orchard so we can get fresh-from-the-tree peaches.  I can't resist bringing home more than we can eat fresh so I want to do something with them.  I'm not in the mood for cobbler or pie today.  I want something lighter.  I remember that I baked peaches many years ago with just some cornflakes, sugar and butter in the center.  I don't have the exact recipe I used but this is close enough.

Roasted Peaches

Three peaches
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
butter

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Grease a baking dish. Gather your ingredients.

Lightly crush the cornflakes. I learned this trick from my mother-in-law for crushing crackers, nuts, or cornflakes. Put them in a baggie and use a rolling pin.

Mix together the cornflake crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon. Put the peeled peach halves in the baking dish and scoop  about 3 tablespoons of the crumb mixture on each half. If the peaches are really sweet, you may use less.  Add more if they are tart.  Dot with butter.

Bake about 40 minutes until the peaches are softened and the top is lightly browned.

These peaches were firm, with a fresh bit of tang to them.  Delicious hot with vanilla ice cream!
I had some plum sauce I heated and drizzled on top.  (I had previously cooked some plums with sugar to make a sauce.)

Yummm!!! Just the fresh peach dessert I was looking for!!! Plum sauce good but totally unnecessary.  The fresh hot peach with crunchy sweet topping  and melting vanilla ice cream are all you need!

I also love these peaches as an ingredient in a bowl of hot oatmeal or as a healthy snack with cottage cheese.