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.