Peach Crisp
We're almost done. Here in rural New England, the peaches are almost finished. And what a season it's been! It was so warm early and so wet early and then so very dry now that the berries and stone fruits have been in ridiculous abundance, sweet and juicy, almost beyond belief. We'll see if this current dry spell bodes well for tomatoes in the weeks ahead. But for now, peaches are making their last fling.
Which means we're stocking up. When we see peaches, berries, plums, or cherries in the markets, we go for it, buying way more than we need, then freezing them for the winter ahead. (Stone fruits like plums, cherries, and peaches should be pitted--the larger ones, sliced. Berries can go into the freezer as they are.) None will then be worth eating on its own. But a peach crisp in December is a thing of beauty indeed!
While we're on the subject, let's just say that frozen fruit is real food, no doubt. In fact, frozen fruit is often a better choice. If the peaches in December have been trucked to the store from Chile or Morocco, you're better off buying the sliced frozen ones in bags. The ones trucked in were picked green and won't be worth much for their taste. The frozen ones were picked at the height of ripeness, even by large-scale growers, and flash-frozen, often right in the fields. These fruits and berries (and vegetables, too) retain more of their essential nutrients--and taste!--than those brought over thousands of miles.
In fact, frozen vegetables are often picked at a better stage than the fresh ones going to a standard supermarket. The ripe green beans and carrots, the ones ready to eat now, are culled for the freezer truck. The less-than-ripe veggies and fruits are then packed for longer shelf-life at the store. So if peaches are out of season where you live and you want to make this peach crisp, consider the sliced ones in the freezer case--provided there are no chemical shenanigans going on in the package. (Read those labels!)
OK, the crisp.
First, pit and cut up 2 1/2 pounds fresh peaches. If you're buying them off the shelf, remember the rule: the nose knows. If a peach doesn't smell like anything, it probably won't taste like anything. (Note that we don't even peel them.) And if you can't find good peaches, use 2 1/4 pounds sliced frozen pitted peaches, thawed.
Lightly butter or grease a 10-inch baking dish or a 6-cup oval gratin dish.
Put the peach bits or slices in a bowl and all of the following: 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract.
Stir this mixture together and pour it into the prepared baking dish. Set the aside for 10 minutes to let the tapioca dissolve and start its thickening magic.
Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375F.
Two notes. 1) The sugar is fairly low in this recipe. That's because we want the real taste of the peaches to shine through. The almond extract will give them a little backtaste, the better to foreground them, in place of too much sugar. And 2) Quick-cooking tapioca is an old-fashioned pie and crisp thickener. It adds a rich silkiness to fruit desserts without the gumminess of too much flour. You'll find it in the baking aisle of most supermarkets.
OK, now the crunchy topping. Stir together the following in a big bowl: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup rolled oats (don't use quick-cooking or steel-cut); 6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar; 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, or 4 tablespoons pecan or walnut oil, preferably the same oil to match the nuts in the topping; 2 tablespoons maple syrup; and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the peach filling--and bake. About 40 minutes, until lightly browned and utterly irresistible.
Cool the crisp on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving. Or keep it uncovered at room temperature for several hours. Vanilla ice cream, anyone?
If you want to find way more crisps, cobblers, and pies, check out the big section on fruit desserts in The Ultimate Cook Book, available here.
Mark Scarbrough | Posted on Friday, July 23, 2010 at 9:06AM | in Desserts, Fabulously Empty Calories dessert, frozen fruit, fruit desserts, peach crisp, peaches
Reader Comments (5)
1st - thanks for speaking on the frozen vs fresh but out of season/not local issue. i find that people tend not to think of that at all. or if they do still think that "fresh" is better. kind of makes me wonder about the whole marketing angle ....
2nd- for the frozen peaches - you do thaw them 1st? the reason i'm asking is that recipes in general tend not to. you don't worry about browing/darkening of the fruit? do you drain the juices or retain those?
thanks.
fresh peaches re coming into season here & i'm looking forward to trying out the recipe.
Mark, we freeze nectarines, peaches, plums, pitted cherries and berries. Apples too sometimes - best to peel and slice them, then dip then in a weak vitamin C solution and they'll stay lily white in the freezer. There really is no better way to extend seasonal produce, and you're right, a stonefruit dessert mid-Winter is just so good for the soul!
Celia: You, my dear, are a mighty ant, storing away for the winter. I hope more people follow your lead.
Jacquie: I ask Chef Bruce about this one. He said that berries are fine out of the freezer--but that sometimes, if the peaches slices are too large, even the time in the oven is not enough to thaw them completely so that they release the necessary juices into the filling. He said he prefers them semi-thawed--that is, left out on the counter for 30 minutes or in the fridge 3 or 4 hours. He says that he sometimes drains away the juice and sometimes doesn't, depending on how wet he wants the filling. He said he wants it "drier" if he's serving it with ice cream--yes, please--or whipped cream--double yes, please--but that he wants it "wetter" if he's serving it on its own.
M.
I hope I haven't missed my peach window here in NJ. I have been eating them like crazy, but haven't gotten around to baking or freezing. My husband is pining for his mom's canned peaches, so we may go that route. Freezing would be easier, but you know, domestic harmony and all that.
I've got my fingers crossed for a bumper crop of tomatoes. I've had some good ones already, but I never get tired of fresh tomatoes. And corn. (that's it, I'm leaving work early and going to the farmstand)
We were visiting friends in the Hamptons this weekend--and the corn and tomatoes were clearly in and in abundance. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for up here. The corn has just barely started--and it's all the fertilized/chemically-induced stuff at this point. Should be another couple weeks for the organic corn to show up. But so far, we're looking good. Tomatoes, too. Although the two plants on my deck have withered and given up their ghosts.
M.