Peach Shake

4 servings

4 C peach pulp
1 C milk
1 C yogurt
1/4 C honey
1 C crushed ice
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Place all ingredients in container of blender. Cover and whirl till smooth. Serve very cold in chilled stemmed glasses.

Fruity Finish

Round out a summer meal with this quick-to-fix recipe that takes advantage of summer fruits at their peak.

Active time: 3 minutes
Total time: 7 minutes
Serves 4.

2 ripe nectarines (or peaches or plums)
2 t butter
4 t sugar, divided
1/3 C part-skim ricotta
1/4 t cinnamon
Optional garnish: honey and mint
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1. Cut nectarines in half and remove pits.

2. In a nonstick skillet, melt butter and 2 t sugar over medium heat. Place nectarines cut side down; cook 1 to 2 minutes until cut side of fruit is lightly caramelized. Divide among 4 plates.

3. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, remaining 2 t sugar and the cinnamon. Spoon ricotta mixture onto nectarines; top with a drizzle of honey and a mint sprig.

Pork Tenderloin in Peaches and Pecan Sauce

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes: 4 servings.

1 T olive oil
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb), cut into 3/4″ slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, sliced
1 can condensed golden mushroom soup
1 can (about 15 oz) sliced peaches in juice, drained, reserving juice
3 T soy sauce
2 T honey
1/4 C pecan halves, toasted and broken into large pieces
Hot cooked rice
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1. Heat oil in 10″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until well-browned on both sides. Remove pork from skillet.

2. Add garlic and onions to skillet and cook and stir 1 minute. Stir soup, peach juice, soy sauce and honey in skillet and heat to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until soup mixture is slightly reduced.

3. Return pork to skillet. Stir in peaches. Reduce heat to low. Cook until pork is cooked through. Stir in pecans. Serve pork and sauce with rice. Sprinkle with additional sliced green onion, if desired.

Oatmeal Cookie-Peach Cobbler

You can make this in individual ramekins with one dollop of dough on top of each. The baking time remains the same.

Serves 12.

Topping:
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C butter, softened
2 t vanilla extract
1 egg
4.5 oz all-purpose flour (about 1 C)
1 C old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
Filling:
11 C sliced peeled peaches (about 5 lb)
1/3 C sugar
2 T all-purpose flour
2 T fresh lemon juice
Cooking spray
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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. To prepare topping, place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Weigh or lightly spoon 1 C flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 1 C flour, oats, baking powder and slat; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed until blended. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

3. To prepare fillings, combine sliced peeled peaches, 1/3 C sugar, 2 T flour and lemon juice in a bowl; toss to coat. Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9″ baking dish coated with cooking spray. Dollop 12 mounds of chilled dough over peach mixture at even intervals. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Individual Peach Cobblers

Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves 4

FOR THE FILLING
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 pounds peaches, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and cut in half again crosswise (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
FOR THE TOPPING
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
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1. Make the filling: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add peaches and lemon juice; toss to combine. Divide filling evenly among four 8-ounce custard cups (or one 2-quart baking dish); transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.

2. Make the topping and bake: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk; stir just until a dough forms. Drop dough onto peaches, using about 1/3 cup dough for each custard cup. Sprinkle dough with remaining teaspoon sugar. Bake until fruit is bubbling and biscuit topping is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes; serve warm.

Four-Fruit Crisp

Don’t have four kinds of berries or fruits? Use more of the same kind. This recipe works well with fresh, frozen or canned fruit.

Serves 8.

1 1/2 C each of four fruits (6 C total): raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, sour cherries, peaches or apples
1/4 C water
1/4 – 1/2 C sugar, optional
2 T cornstarch, optional
3/4 C flour
3/4 C rolled oats
3 T butter
2 T oil
3/4 C brown sugar
1/3 C chopped nuts, optional
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Mix together 4 fruits and pour into a 10″ deep dish pie pan. Alternatively, the fruits can be cooked with water, 1/4 – 1/2 C sugar (depending on the sweetness of the fruit), and cornstarch to thicken before baking.

Mix remaining ingredients until crumbly. Evenly sprinkle topping over fruit. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees until fruit bubbles and top is golden brown, about 30 minutes; may take longer if using frozen fruit.

Strawberry Pie

Yields 1 pie.

1 C sugar
3 T cornstarch
2 C mashed strawberries
2 T lemon juice
4 – 6 C whole strawberries
1 9-inch baked pastry shell or graham cracker crust
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Blend sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add mashed strawberries and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and cool.

When cooked fruit is cool, gently fold in whole strawberries and pour into crust. Chill for 3 hours.

Variation: Substitute blueberries or peaches for the strawberries.

Peach and Buttermilk Sherbet

Makes about 1 quart

4 large ripe yellow peaches (about 1 3/4 pounds), pitted and quartered
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup whole milk
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1. Bring peaches and sugar to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until peaches are soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Puree peaches and their syrup in a food processor. Pass through a medium sieve into a bowl; discard solids.

2. Whisk together corn syrup, lemon juice, and salt, and pour into peach puree. Whisk in buttermilk and milk. Cover, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

3. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, until thick and creamy, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container. Sherbet can be frozen for up to 1 week.

Peach Crisp

peaches
Prep: 35 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves 6 to 8

For the Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds

For the Filling:
3 1/2 pounds ripe peaches (about 11 medium peaches)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar

For Serving:
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
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1. For the topping: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees with rack in the middle position. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in oil and water until blended. Topping will look like clumpy wet sand. Stir in almonds and set aside.

2. For the filling: In a large saucepan of boiling water, working in batches, blanch peaches for 1 minute. Remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl of cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel off skin. Halve, pit, and cut peaches into 1/2-inch wedges.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together peaches, lemon juice, flour, and sugar. Place filling in an 8-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle topping evenly over peaches. Bake until the topping turns a deep, golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Stone Fruit Patchwork Bake

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into about 8 pieces, more for dish
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 pounds peaches, seeded and sliced (about 5 large)
1 cup cherries, stones in or pitted
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
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1. Heat oven to 400 degrees and butter a 9-by-13-inch or similar-size baking dish; set aside. In a food processor, combine 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, the salt and 1 tablespoon sugar; pulse once or twice. Add butter and turn on machine; process until butter and flour are blended and mixture looks like coarse cornmeal, about 15 to 20 seconds. Slowly add 1/4 cup ice water through feed tube and process until just combined. Form dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic and freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (You can refrigerate dough for up to a couple of days, or freeze it, tightly wrapped, for up to a couple of weeks.)

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss fruit with remaining flour, 3/4 cup sugar and lemon juice; place in baking dish.

3. Put dough on a floured board or countertop and sprinkle with more flour. Roll dough into a 12-inch round, adding flour and rotating and turning dough as needed. Cut dough into 3-inch-wide strips, then cut again crosswise into 4-inch-long pieces. Scatter pieces over fruit in an overlapping patchwork pattern.

4. Brush top of dough lightly with water and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Transfer to oven and bake until top is golden brown and juices bubble, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool; serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

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