Sunday Dessert – Blueberry-Peach Pie

Since my 85 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often, particularly experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make something they especially like from my blogs of over 10 years and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

This week at the farm market we found peaches and Michigan blueberries, so our Sunday dessert was Blueberry-Peach Pie, a county fair Best of Show winner for me in 1988. The combination of these two fresh fruits is great and my daughters love this pie when I can manage to get both peaches and blueberries super-fresh. The frozen fruit just doesn’t work as well. From my 2007 post:

https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/prize-winning-blueberry-peach-pie/

Blueberry-Peach Pie

• Servings: 9-inch pie - 6-to 8 servings
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4 cups fresh peach slices (peeled)

2 Tblsp. butter

1 cup fresh blueberries

2 Tblsp. fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar

2 Tblsp. quick tapioca

pinch salt
1 Tblsp. butter

Pastry for two-crust 9” pie (my favorite recipe is here: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2007/11/15/my-sure-fire-pie-crust/

1 Tblsp. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Saute peaches in 2 Tblsp. butter, add blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, tapioca and salt. Let stand while making crust. Place crust in 9-inch pie plate. Fill crust with fruit mixture, dot with 1 Tblsp. butter, put on top crust and flute edges. Brush top crust with milk and cut vents in top crust. Bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

Also served: Corn-on-the-Cob and Balsamic Chicken and Mac Salad, found in my 2015 post: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2015/11/04/balsamic-chicken-and-mac-salad/

The white balsamic vinegar makes a nice, subtle change in flavor in the salad.

 

Sunday Dinner Dessert – Peach Kuchen

Since my 85 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often, particularly experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make something they especially like from my blogs of over 10 years and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

This Sunday‘s dessert is a thin cake topped with fresh peaches and cinnamon/sugar, adapted from a German recipe. Each year, the first purchase of peaches from our local farm stand ends up in this kuchen. It’s a simple cake to put together and works just as well as a breakfast coffeecake.

The original post from 2007 is here: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2007/09/23/fresh-fruit-kuchen/

Fresh Peach Kuchen

• Servings: 8 or 9 inch cake
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3 Tblsp. sour cream

3 Tblsp. milk

3 Tblps. vegetable oil

½ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp lemon peel

¼ tsp salt

1 cup + 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 lb. fresh fruit, peeled and cored, in thin slices

Cinnamon topping: 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon, mixed together

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, oil, sugar and lemon peel. Mix together the salt, flour, baking powder and baking soda, and gradually stir into sour cream mixture. Place batter in greased 8 or 9-inch pan. The dough will be stiff and somewhat sticky. Dampen your hands with water and then press the dough into the pan.

Arrange the peach slices over the top of the cake.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cinnamon topping over top of cake and continue baking for 5 more minutes.

Place on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Best when eaten warm from the oven.

Also served: Corn on the cob and  open-faced tuna sandwiches with fresh tomato and cheese – broiled to a golden brown. First posted in 2009: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/tuna-melt-and-butterscotch-kahlua-mousse/

Any kind of good, substantial bread would be fine, but I happened to have some Cracked Wheat bread I just made this week and this worked very well. From 2013: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/cracked-wheat-yeast-bread/

Mixed Fruit Lasagne

For Sunday dinner, I had intended to bake an old favorite, Peach Lasagne, using leftover Italian bread and some beautiful peaches from the farm market. Unfortunately, the peaches I had bought most recently weren’t ripe enough and the three peaches leftover from the previous week didn’t equal the four cups I needed for the recipe. I decided to add some leftover strawberries and drained, canned pineapple tidbits. I also substituted toasted pecans for the almonds in my original recipe and the dessert was delicious. My daughters loved it.

This is the original recipe: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2008/07/06/peach-lasagne/

• Servings: 6
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Fruit Layer:
4 cups mixed fruit (I used equal amounts of strawberries, peaches and pineapple)
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Bread Layer:
6 Tblsp. butter
8 slices hearty bread, sliced fairly thin
1-1/2 Tblsp. granulated sugar

Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tblsp. dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 Tblsp. butter
3 Tblsp. toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven @ 350 degrees F

Cut fruit into bite-sized pieces, add granulated sugar, mix and set aside.
Spread butter on both sides of 8 slices of bread. Place slices in a large skillet over medium heat and brown on each side.

Line the bottom of a 9 inch baking dish with half of the browned buttered slices – just cover the bottom without overlapping. OK to break the bread into smaller pieces to fit them in. Sprinkle ¾ Tblp. sugar over the slices. Spoon half of fruit mixture on top of bread slices, spreading to cover.

Repeat with another layer of bread slices sprinkled with sugar and the remaining half of the fruit mixture.

Crumb Topping: Mix together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt and cut in butter. Sprinkle the topping over the last fruit layer and top with chopped pecans.

Cover and bake @ 350 degrees F for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more.

Serve warm.

 

Peach, Pineapple and Tomato Salsa

Susan at Desertsky Quilting posted a recipe for a cooked salsa with tomatoes, pineapple and peaches (click here for her version) which sounded really good.  I wanted to use this idea, taking advantage of the wonderful fresh produce that is available now and made up an uncooked fresh salsa.  I didn’t have fresh pineapple and used two slices of canned pineapple cut into small segments.

Note:  Peaches and tomatoes can be peeled easily and without waste by dipping them in boiling water for about 20 seconds – the skins slip right off.

• Servings: About 3 cups of salsa
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1 cup peaches, peeled and diced
2 slices pineapple, drained and cut into small segments (about 1 cup)
2-½ cups peeled, diced fresh tomatoes
1 Tblsp. hot banana pepper, finely chopped
1 Tblsp. cilantro, snipped in small pieces (fresh basil is also good)
1 Tblsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tblsp. honey
¼ tsp. salt
Grating of black pepper

Place prepared peaches, pineapple, tomatoes, banana pepper and cilantro in a medium bowl.

In a separate small bowl, mix together the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.  Pour the vinegar mixture over the salsa ingredients and toss lightly.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Makes about 3 cups of salsa.  Will keep well in refrigerator for 3-4 days.

This is a good side dish and was delicious served with grilled tilapia.

It is also good served as a dip with cinnamon crisps.

Blueberry Peach Crisp with Amaretto Cream

This recipe is adapted from one on Food Network by Giada De Laurentiis.  I used peaches rather than nectarines, as she did, because I had some gorgeous Georgia peaches from the local farm market (Blooms ‘n Berries – Loveland – near Cincinnati).  I also cut the recipe to fit it into a 9×9 pan and added a cream cheese/whipped topping/amaretto topping.  Click here for Giada’s original recipe.

• Servings: 6
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Topping

• ½ cup amaretti cookies
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 Tblsp. packed light brown sugr
• 3 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup sliced almonds

Filling

• 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 large peaches, peeled and sliced (3 cups)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 3 Tblsp. Amaretto liqueur

Topping

• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip)
• 1 Tblsp. Amaretto liqueur

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Butter a 9×9 baking pan

To Make the Topping
Place ½ cup of amaretti cookies in a plastic bag and roll over it with a rolling pin to crush the cookies.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and amaretti cookie crumbs.  With your fingertips, rub in the butter until moist clumps form.  Add almonds.  Set aside.

To make the filling
In a large bowl, place sugar and flour – mix together to blend.  Add prepared peaches and blueberries, stir to coat with flour.  Stir in Amaretto.

Pour fruit mixture into buttered baking dish.  Cover with topping.

Bake uncovered @ 350 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes until peaches are tender and topping is browned.

Place on a rack to cool.

To make the Amaretto Cream
Place softened cream cheese, thawed frozen topping and Amaretto in a medium bowl – whisk to blend.  Makes about 2-½ cups.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cut crisp into six servings and place on dessert plates.  Top with a serving of  Amaretto Cream.  Good warm, room temperature or cold.

You’ll probably have some topping leftover – it’s delicious on Jello, pound cake, pudding, etc.

6 servings 

Peach Cream Tart

I first made this tart in 1987 from a cookbook called Savannah Collection that I had bought on a recent trip to Georgia.  In my binder, I have it rated “excellent”.

• Servings: 8
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Butter Crust:

• 1-¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ cup cold butter, cut in small cubes
• 2 Tbsp. sour cream

Peach Filling:

• 6 medium size ripe peaches
• 3 large egg yolks
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 410 degrees F
You will need a 9-inch tart pan (9 inches across the bottom, 10 inches across the top) with removable sides, ungreased.

To make the crust:

In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt.  Add butter cubes and with your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until it is evenly distributed.

Add the sour cream and work it into the dough with your fingertips until blended.

Roll out crust on a lightly floured board.

Place in pan and press into place.

Blind-bake the crust by placing parchment paper or foil on top of the crust and filling with a pound of dry beans.  I put the beans in a jar and use the same ones over and over for blind-baking.  Don’t cook the beans as a vegetable after baking this way.

Bake @ 410 degrees F for 10 minutes, remove parchment paper and beans, and continue baking for another 5 minutes.  Remove to a rack while preparing filling.  Crust should be set but not brown.

REDUCE OVEN HEAT TO 350 DEGREES F

To make the filling:

Peel peaches.  To remove peel easily, drop the peaches into very hot water and allow to stand for 1-2 minutes.  Remove and allow to drain and cool.  The peel will slip off easily.  Remove pits and cut in ½ inch thick slices.  Arrange slices in circle on top of crust,  and then make a second layer of peaches.

Combine egg yolks, sour cream, almond extract, sugar and flour and whisk until smooth.  Pour yolk mixture over peaches.

Bake @ 350 degrees F until set and pale golden color – about 1 hour.  Cover with loose foil tent if color gets too dark.  Cool on wire rack.

While still warm, glaze with the following:

• ½ cup peach jam (I used my homemade Missouri Peach Preserves)
• 1 Tblsp. Water

Heat the jam and water in a small saucepan until mixture begins to boil.  Strain to remove any large pieces of fruit.

Brush glaze while still warm on top of warm tart.

Allow tart to cool on rack.  Remove sidewall of pan.

Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

Serves 8 

Here are some more good recipes using peaches:
Fresh Fruit Kuchen
Banana Peach Bars
Fresh Peach Clafouti

Celebration Peach Cobbler

Peach Lasagne

Missouri Peach Preserves

My Fresh Peach Pie

Fresh Peach Crumble Pie

Prize-Winning Blueberry Peach Pie

Fresh Peach Muffins

My Fresh Peach Pie

I first made this pie in 1987 for the Ohio State Fair and it won 3rd place.  I call it My Fresh Peach Pie because at the time I used what I thought would make a good pie and later found it’s pretty much the basic recipe.  With ripe peaches from the local farm market, it’s simply delicious.

• Servings: 6-8
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• 5 cups sliced peaches (6-7 medium peaches, peeled and pitted)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract
• Pastry for 9 inch two-crust pie (Here’s my favorite recipe)
• 1 Tblsp. butter
• 1 tsp. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

To peel peaches easily and without waste, drop them into very hot water and let stand for about one minute.  Remove from water and let drain and cool for 5 minutes.  The skin will slide right off.

Peel peaches, remove pits and slice in ½ inch slices.

Place peach slices in a large bowl and add sugar, flour, salt and almond extract.  Let stand for 10 minutes or while preparing crust.

Place the crust in a 9 inch pie plate and fill with the peach mixture.  Dot with butter …

…and place top crust over filling.  Seal and crimp edges, brush with milk and cut small vents in top crust.

Place on a large flat pan to catch spills and bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Servings:  6 to 8 

Fresh Peach Clafouti

I was looking for a supper dessert to use up some fresh peaches.  I wanted something that wasn’t too rich or too sweet and lighter than a pie or cobbler.  This recipe from Mennonite Girls Can Cook fit the bill perfectly.  It’s like peaches in a baked custard.  I had enough for supper, for the next day’s lunch and some to send to my youngest daughter.

PEACH CLAFOUTI

• Servings: 6
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• 3-4 cups of sliced fresh peaches
• 1 cup whole milk (or light cream)
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Generously butter a deep-dish 9″ pie plate or a quiche pan.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Place sliced peaches in the buttered pan.

Put milk, eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla and salt in a blender; blend until smooth and creamy.

Add melted butter and blend.  Pour this mixture over the peaches.

Bake in a 375°F degree oven for 45 minutes or until Clafouti is puffed up and golden.  Place on a wire rack to cool.

The Clafouti will collapse as it cools.  This is best when it is slightly warm but also good at room temperature.  Makes 6 servings. 

Celebration Peach Cobbler

This recipe comes from two sources – the fruit portion is from a Crisco flyer, American Pie Celebration, and the cobbler topping is my favorite from Farm Journal’s Complete Pie Cookbook.  The Farm Journal stresses dropping the cobbler dough onto piping hot fruit.

• Servings: 6
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Fruit Mixture

• 4 cups sliced fresh peaches
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 T cornstarch
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg

Cobbler Topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1-½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup vegetable shortening (Crisco)
• ½ cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Have a 9-inch square baking pan or 2-quart baking dish at hand.

To Make Fruit Mixture:
In a large saucepan, combine peaches, sugar, water and cornstarch.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook, stirring constantly for one minute.  Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg.  Pour into a 9-inch square baking dish or a 2-quart baking dish.

To Make Cobbler Topping:
Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Blend in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Stir in the milk to make a soft dough.

Drop tablespoons of cobbler topping over surface of piping hot fruit mixture.

Bake @ 400 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

6 servings.  Serve in bowls with cobbler juices. 

This is a wonderful cobbler served warm.  I try to time it so it’s coming from the oven  to  cool for 20 minutes or so while we’re eating dinner.  It’s a lovely dessert  plain or topped with a little cream or whipped topping.

Blueberry Peach Puffs

This recipe is a combination of several ideas.  I wanted to make a fruit-filled puff that would be a little more calorie-conscious than the cream-filled type.  The pate a choux pastry is not difficult, but allow time to cool for about 30 minutes at two different points.  The puffs can be made in advance and frozen or stored at room temperature for several days.  Before using, crisp them by putting the puffs (thawed if frozen) on a baking sheet and placing in a cold oven.  Turn the oven on to heat to 350 degrees F.  When it reaches that point, turn the oven off and remove the puffs to a rack to cool.  When cool, fill with desired filling.

• Servings: 6
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Cream Puff Batter:

• 1/4 cup butter, cut in small pieces
• ½ cup water
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ½ Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs

Fruit Filling:

• 1-1/2 cups diced peaches
• 1 cup blueberries
• ¼ tsp. almond extract
• ½ cup frozen whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip Lite)

For Topping:  About 2 Tblsp. Confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

To make the cream puff pastry:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, place butter and water.

Bring to boil and boil until butter melts.  Leaving pan on heat, stir in salt, sugar and flour with a wooden spoon, stirring briskly until a ball forms.

Place the ball of dough in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Allow to cool for 20-25 minutes until dough is lukewarm to the touch.

When dough has cooled, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well with mixer after each addition. Dough should be of a sticky consistency.

Divide dough into 6 medium puffs (each about 3 Tblsp. of dough) and place on prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each puff.  You can drop dough with a large spoon and then form with your fingertips.

Bake in preheated 400 degree F oven for 10 minutes.  REDUCE HEAT TO 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 20 minutes.  During the last minute of baking, prick a small hole in each puff with a cake tester or toothpick to assure that the puff is dry on the inside.  Puffs should be golden brown.

Turn off oven, leave puffs in oven and with the oven door ajar, let cool until  lukewarm, approximately 15 minutes.  Remove puffs to a wire rack to continue cooling.

To make the fruit filling:

In a small bowl, place the peaches, blueberries and almond extract, tossing to mix.

Gently fold in the thawed whipped topping.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to serve, split the puffs in half.  If there is still some moistness inside, remove it, and fill the puff bottom half with 1/6 of the fruit – about ½ cup.

Place the puff top on the fruit and sift some confectioners’ sugar over the top.

Serve at once.

6 servings