When searching for inspiration to help me write “Cooks’ Corner,” I often check out a list of National (Fill-in-the-Blank) Months. August is National Peach Month, so this week’s column is dedicated to that luscious fruit.  There is nothing like biting into a ripe, fuzzy-skinned peach and having juice run down my chin.  Sitting here thinking about it is making my mouth water.

Past summers were filled with a whole lot more canning and freezing that what I do now, as my household has shrunk from five people down to one.  Fruits have pretty much vanished from my canning list since there are no little ones to enjoy them.  The ready supply I used to have has also disappeared.  The market where I obtained my peaches is no longer there, and the lady that gave me pears from her trees passed away several years ago.

The first year that I managed to have peaches and pears at the same time gave me the inspiration to make my own fruit cocktail.  There was no recipe for it that I could find (no Internet in those days), and so I was on my own.  I purchased white grapes at the grocery store, along with canned pineapple chunks and maraschino cherries.  I decided to use a light syrup recipe found in a canning book, exchanging the juices from the pineapple and cherries for some of the water.

A whole lot of work and quite a bit of time yielded several jars of homemade fruit mix.  The slight pink tinge to the syrup made the jars an eye-pleasing addition to my shelves of canned goods.  When I opened one of the jars to taste the finished product, my family was thrilled with the flavor.  The store bought variety paled in comparison.  I wish I could say that I made my own fruit cocktail often; however, I haven’t made it in a very long time.  A major drawback is getting good peaches and pears at the same time, as pears usually ripen much later than peaches.

I find it much easier now to freeze peaches instead of canning them.  Thankfully, there is a much easier way to peel them than the method my mother used.  We sat for what seemed like hours with a knife to cut off the skins.  Now I put each peach into boiling water for about thirty seconds, remove it with a slotted spoon, and immediately plunge it into ice water.  The skin comes right off, usually with no knife involved in the process.

With all this talk about peaches, I am ready to go to my kitchen and make something peachy!

 

Peach-Raspberry Pie

 Pastry for 2-crust pie

6 cups sliced peeled peaches (6-8 medium, ripe but firm)

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for sprinkling

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 large egg white, lightly beaten, for brushing

Combine peaches, raspberries, 2/3 cup sugar and lemon juice in large bowl; toss well to coat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer fruit mixture to a colander set over a medium bowl; let drain for 30 minutes. Pour collected juice into a small saucepan. Return fruit to large bowl. Bring juice to a boil over high heat and cook, gently swirling the pan, until reduced, syrupy and slightly darkened in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Add syrup to fruit along with cornstarch; gently toss until cornstarch is completely dissolved.

Position rack in center of oven; place a foil-lined baking sheet on rack below; preheat to 375 degrees.

Place pastry for bottom crust in 9-inch pie pan Trim crust with kitchen shears or knife so it overhangs edge of the pan by 1 inch. Scrape filling into crust.  Place pastry for top crust over pie. Trim so it overhangs evenly. Tuck top crust under bottom crust, sealing the two together and making a plump edge. Flute edge with your fingers. Brush top and edge with egg white; sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar. Cut 6 steam vents in top crust.

Bake pie on center rack until crust is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 1-1/2 hours.

 

Peachy Glazed Ham

1 (16-ounce) can sliced peaches in light (or heavy) syrup, undrained

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 to 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 (1-pound) center-cut ham slice

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Drain peaches, reserving 1/2 cup syrup in a large skillet; set peaches aside.

Add sugar and mustard to skillet; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Cook 2 minutes or until mixture is slightly reduced.

Add ham, and cook 2 minutes on each side.

Add peaches, onion, and cloves; cover and cook over low heat 5 minutes or until peaches are thoroughly heated and onion is tender.  Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

 

Peach Dumplings

Almond Pastry (see recipe below)

1/3 cup apricot-pineapple preserves

1/3 cup sugar

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2-1/2 cups sliced fresh peaches

Spicy Cream Topping (see recipe below)

Prepare Almond Pastry as directed in recipe below.  Roll out onto a lightly floured surface into an 18-by-12–inch rectangle; cut into six (6-inch) squares.

Combine preserves, sugar, flour, and cloves; mix well.  Add to fresh peaches, stir to coat.

Spoon about 1/2 cup peach mixture into center of each square.  Moisten edges of pastry with water, and fold opposite corners to center.  Press edges together to seal.  Carefully transfer dumplings to a lightly greased baking sheet; bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden.

Transfer dumplings to individual serving dishes while warm; spoon Spicy Cream Topping over each dumpling.

Yield: 6 servings

Almond Pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup ground almonds

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup shortening

7 to 8 tablespoons cold water

Combine flour, almonds, and salt; cut in shortening with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Sprinkle cold water (1 tablespoon at a time) evenly over surface; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened.  Shape into a ball.

Spicy Cream Topping:

1 cup whipping cream

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Beat whipping cream until foamy; gradually add sugar and spices, beating until soft peaks form.  Chill until serving time.