August is just peach-y!
There are days when I sit down at my computer to write my column, and my mind goes blank. It is one of those days. I looked at my list of monthly celebrations, but August doesn’t have very many. National Water Quality Month? Not appropriate for a recipe column. Besides, I don’t know enough about it to count. National Catfish Month? I don’t think I have ever eaten catfish, let alone cooked one. Harvest Month? It doesn’t seem to fit August very well, although I guess it depends on what one is harvesting. Peach Month? That I can handle.
I looked through my files to find peach recipes that we really enjoyed but have not been repeated in my column. It is fun to rediscover things that we thought would turn out to be a family favorite, but for one reason or another (usually because I have kept trying new recipes), they have never reappeared in my kitchen.
Peach Praline Pie
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
4 cups fresh ripe sliced peaches (may use frozen)
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
For praline topping: Combine brown sugar and 1/4 cup flour; cut in butter with a pastry blender, until crumbly in texture. Stir in chopped pecans. Sprinkle one-third of topping mixture over bottom of unbaked pie shell. Combine sliced peaches, remaining flour, 2/3 cup sugar and lemon juice; pour into pie shell over praline mixture. Sprinkle remaining praline mixture evenly over peaches. Bake for 45 minutes to 50 minutes, or until syrup boils in heavy bubbles that do not burst. Serve warm, with or without vanilla ice cream.
Peaches ‘n’ Cream Pizza
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 (21-ounce) can peach pie filling
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles. Press onto a greased 12-or-14-inch pizza pan; seal seams. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool Slightly on a wire rack.
In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and extract until smooth. Spread over crust. Top with pie filling. In a small bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over peaches. Top with nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12 to 16 servings.
Peach Streusel Muffins
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup peach or apricot nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen peeled peaches, chopped *see note
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2-1/2 tablespoons chilled butter or margarine
1/4 cup quick oats
*Note: Thaw frozen peaches and drain any liquid prior to chopping.
Mix by hand.
In mixing bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, and egg; beat well with wooden spoon. Stir in extracts.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cloves. Add all at once to egg mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in chopped peaches.
Divide muffin batter equally between 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.
Combine brown sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, oats, and cinnamon; cut in 2-1/2 tablespoons butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over muffin batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.
Makes 12 muffins.