Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Peach Crisp



Can you believe it's almost July already? It definitely snuck up on me. I'm all for the cozy winter months but there's just something extra special about summer. Longer evenings, gorgeous sunsets, baseball (sweeping the Dodgers, ahem!), watching a confused Poppy try to figure out how and why the fan is blowing on her, but most of all, eating summer produce!


I definitely think that when baking with summer fruit like strawberries, apricots, cherries, and peaches, simpler is better. You don't want to overwhelm the fruit with fancy spices or lots of sugar, just let it stand out on its own! This peach crisp is a slight variation on a recipe that my mom usually makes multiple times throughout the summer, and it never gets old. Plus, it's even more delicious for breakfast the next morning.





Peach Crisp:


For the filling:
8 peaches, peeled and cut up into chunks
2 tablespoons flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
Zest of one orange
Pinch of salt


For the topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter (1 and 1/2 sticks), cubed


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I know it's awful to have a hot oven when it's warm outside, but it'll be worth it in the end! Combine the peaches, flour, sugar, orange zest, and salt in a large bowl. Be careful not to overmix or the peaches will get smooshed.





Pour the peaches into a 9 by 13 baking dish. Mix all the topping ingredients except for the butter in a bowl until combined. Then, use your fingers to incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients (the tried-and-true technique that I've mentioned before for pie crust and scones), or use a pastry cutter or a food processor. 


The mixture should be crumbly, about the size of small peas. Sprinkle it over the top of the peaches...maybe also use a spoon to eat any topping that remains in the bowl...I know, so disgusting but SO good!


Bake the whole thing for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees, until it is bubbly and golden. Best served slightly warm with vanilla ice cream - the ice cream just melts into all the crevices of the crisp, mmm.








Here's the Popster (as we like to call her), sleeping peacefully. I know she looks so innocent but just wait till she's awake...



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