A very welcome fruit has arrived on the Shore — peaches! You can pick your own at local orchards or buy already picked ones from the produce stands or local grocery stores. After you get them, what will you do with them? Can them or freeze them or just wash, peel, slice and eat them individually or prepare a bowl filled to serve later. Fresh peaches are delicious in cereal, on top of a fresh baked cake or in that cake and made into fresh peach ice cream. Today I had fresh peach slices and cottage cheese for lunch — delicious and healthy.
Watch the local newspapers for the peach festivals that are held on the Eastern Shore. There are several peach orchards in the area. Watch for the signs! My mom would get her small baskets out — she called them peach baskets — and off to the orchards we would go. This adventure did not take as long as the strawberry and blueberry picking used to take. Upon arriving at home the peaches were put in wash tubs of cold water to be cleaned before the peeling process began. Yes, this involved a lot of work being shared by all who would enjoy the peach jelly, jams, canned peaches, frozen peach slices for baking those peach pies and that awesome homemade peach ice cream, peach muffins, peach cobbler and whatever else mom decided to make. Let’s get cooking!
For the crust: 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting, 2 tablespoons sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces.
For the filling: 4 pounds peaches peeled and cut into wedges, 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and 1 large egg.
Make the crust. Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like a coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Add 1/2 cup ice water and pulse until the dough just starts to come together. Divide the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and form each into a disk, wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
Make the filling. Toss the peaches in a bowl with 3/4 cup sugar, the flour, lemon juice and spices. Lightly dust a large piece of parchment paper with flour. Roll out 1 piece of the dough into a 12-inch round on the parchment. Ease the dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Add the filling, mounding it slightly in the center; dot with the butter and refrigerate.
Roll out the second piece of dough into a 12-inch round and cut it into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Lay half of the strips on the pie in one direction, leaving about 1 inch of space between each strip. Lay the remaining strips on top, crossing them diagonally to make a lattice pattern (no need to weave); trim the edges of the strips, leaving a small overhang. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp the edge of the crust with your fingers.
Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush on the crust edge and lattice top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Put a baking sheet on the rack and preheat to 425 degrees F. Put the pie on the hot baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking until the pie is golden and the filling is bubbly, 50 minutes to 1 hour. (Cover loosely with foil if the top is browning too quickly.) Transfer to a rack to cool completely before slicing.
8 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces, 1/4 cup boiling water. Mix together 3 tablespoons white sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly and pour into a 2-quart baking dish. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined. Remove peaches from oven and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle the entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until the topping is golden, about 30 minutes.
1 cup white flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp butter melted, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup finely diced peaches of more — if you like a lot of peaches! Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
In a separate bowl, stir together the butter and vanilla. Mix in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Briefly microwave the mixture for 10-15 seconds. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour, stirring just until incorporated. Gently fold in the peaches.
Lightly coat a large nonstick pan or griddle with nonstick cooking spray, and preheat over low heat. Using 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake, dollop the batter onto the hot pan, and spread into a circular shape if desired.
Let the pancakes cook for 2-3 minutes, or until a slight skin starts to form around the edges and the bottom is light golden brown. Slide a spatula underneath, and flip. Continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes or until light golden brown on both sides.
Remember to re-coat the pan with nonstick cooking spray before cooking the next round of pancake batter.
Top the pancakes with pure maple syrup, if desired.
Here is one from way back. Hot summer days canning on the farm made for sweet lunches in the fall and winter.
3 1/2 pounds peaches (1 lb. is equal to 3 to 4 medium peaches), peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks, 2 1/2 cups sugar. You can start with less sugar and add more if needed, but don’t add too little or your jam won’t gel. Juice from one lemon. Lemon juice is naturally high in pectin and will help the jam set. Add peaches and lemon juice to medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, using a spatula or masher to crush peaches to desired consistency.
Reduce heat to medium. Add sugar. Bring peaches back to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue to boil and stir, until peaches reduce and reach desired consistency. (Anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes — jam should stick to spoon when lifted and turned sideways.) Let the peach preserves cool, if you find the jam is not at the consistency you desire, you can bring the peaches back to boiling for about 10 minutes and then let it cool again. Sterilize the jars and lids. Whatever size you like. (I prefer the 8 oz. jars for this recipe.)
Add the peach jam to the jar, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Use a skinny spatula to help remove air pockets. Wipe down jar rims and add the lids. Seal to fingertip tightness. Screw on till you feel resistance. Too loose, jar won’t seal, too tight air won’t release properly. Process for 5 minutes in the boiling water. Turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the water another 5 minutes. Remove jars and let cool 12 to 24 hours. Check the seal by removing the band and pressing the center of each lid. If you can indent the lid, your jam did not seal properly. Store in a cool dry location up to one year for best quality, but maybe good for up to two years. Be sure to test your jar for spoilage before using it.
In the 1950s and ’60s, fruited seltzers became very popular social drinks. Here is one of my favorite fruit seltzers!
1 c. sugar, 2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger, 2 very ripe peaches (about 2/3 pound), halved, pitted, and thinly sliced, 2 liters seltzer, chilled, 16 fresh mint leaves, for garnish.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, bring 1 cup water, sugar, and ginger to a gentle simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove simple syrup from heat, cover, and steep for about 30 minutes.
Over a medium bowl, pour syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing minced ginger against the sieve with the back of a spoon to extract flavor. Discard ginger. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled.
Evenly distribute peach slices among 8 tall glasses. For each glass, lightly press peaches with the back of a wooden spoon to release their juice. Pour about 2 tablespoons of chilled syrup over peaches. (Store remaining syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.) Add ice cubes; then top with seltzer. Stir to distribute syrup, peach juice, and seltzer evenly. Garnish with 2 mint leaves.
15 ripe peaches, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/8 teaspoon allspice, 4 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 and a half cups sugar. Bring a pot of water to a boil and place peaches in the water for one minute. This works better if you’re using ripe peaches that are ready to eat.
Using a slotted spoon, place the peaches into a bowl of ice water for two minutes. Then, slide the skins off. Cut the peaches into slices, and place in a blender. Blend until smooth. Place the pureed peaches and lemon juice into your slow cooker, stir, and then top with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and sugar. Cook on low until it reaches the thickness you want.
After four hours, to speed up the thickening process you can pop the lid of the crock pot off just a crack to allow a little steam to escape. Use half-pint jars, and leave about 1/4 – 1/2 an inch at the top.
Keep the lids in hot water until ready to use. Once the jars are filled with peach butter, put the hot lids on them and place them in a hot water bath.
I make sure the jars are covered by an inch or two of boiling water, and let them cook for 15 minutes. Lift the jars out of the boiling water, preferably with one of these nifty gadgets, and let them cool overnight so the jars aren’t touching. You can make sure they sealed correctly by pressing your fingers on the lid. If it doesn’t pop up and down, you’re golden!
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