Peachy Keen

Having grown up in Michigan, I tend to be a bit particular about my fruits. In my (perhaps biased) opinion, nothing can really beat the flavor and freshness of Michigan-grown fruits. However, there is one fruit that Illinois grows quite well: peaches. This season's crop started showing up at the farmer's market at the end of May (a bit early, like everything else this year), and they are the sweetest, juiciest, most delicious little stone fruits you could lay your hands on. Then, a couple of weeks ago, one of the vendors offered a 12 lb box of their "ugly" peaches (bruises, dimples) for $10, and I could not resist. Of course, this meant that I had twelve pounds of perfectly ripe peaches to use up ASAP. I decided to take the excuse to try out canning by making some peach-honey jam (pretty delicious, although I'd add pectin next time, because it took forever to cook down to a jam). I also made a few other goodies that I'd like to share with you! Keep reading for Ginger-Peach Crisp, Peach Cupcakes, and Peach-Honey Sauce (the sauce is free of refined sugars!).

Ginger-Peach Crisp
Apple crisp is probably one of my favorite desserts of all time, so I'm not sure why I haven't expanded my fruit crisp repertoire before now. Either way, I'm glad I did - you could use the standard cinnamon as the spice here, but I like the flavor twist that ginger gives. It seems completely appropriate for a summer dish. My peaches went au natural, but you can always toss with a bit of honey if you want added sweetness. I topped this delicious stuff with vanilla Greek yogurt and called it breakfast (totally reasonable, right?), but you could also opt for a scoop of vanilla (or ginger) ice cream and have yourself an amazing dessert.
 

Ingredients

 5-6 cups peaches, washed and sliced (again, I kept the peel)

1 Tbsp honey (optional)

1/2 cup brown (or "raw") sugar

5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp ginger (heaping)

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions

1. Arrange peaches in a 8x8" baking dish. Sweeten by tossing with a small amount of honey if desired (if they're perfectly ripe and fresh, this shouldn't be necessary!).

2. Combine oats, flour, ginger, and almonds in a medium mixing bowl.

3. Cut cold butter into dry ingredients, working with fingertips or fork until mixture is crumbly.

4. Sprinkle topping over peaches, then bake in a 400 degree F oven for 30 min, or until top is brown and peaches are bubbling.

5. Serve warm with a hearty dollop of greek yogurt or a scoop of ice cream.

Peach Cupcakes with Peachy Buttercream Frosting
These are definitely an indulgence; nothing particularly healthy about these. That's not the point, though, right? The surprising twist to these is the cornmeal, which I added on a whim - it adds just a little bit of texture to these delicate, moist cupcakes.
Adapted from a peach muffin recipe on NPR's Kitchen Window
 

Ingredients

For Cupcakes:

3-4 peaches, peeled and diced (2-2 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground mace

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

For Frosting:

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup peach puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch salt

Directions

For Cupcakes:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and mace.

2.  Puree enough of diced peaches in a blender to give 3/4 cup puree (~1 cups diced peaches). Set aside 1/4 cup of the puree.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together peach puree, yogurt, eggs, and butter.

4. Stir liquid ingredients by hand into dry ingredients just until combined.

5. Gently fold in remaining diced peaches (1 cup).

6. Pour batter into paper-lined or greased muffin cups, filling each until almost full.

7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 min, until cupcakes are golden brown.

8. Turn cupcakes out onto a wire rack and allow to cool.

For Frosting:

1. Using an electric mixer, cream butter. 

2. Add sugar in small portions, alternating with peach puree, and beat well after each addition.

3. Stir in vanilla and salt. If frosting is too thin, beat in a little more powdered sugar, or allow to chill, covered, in the refrigerator until it's better set.

4. Once cupcakes have sufficiently cooled, spread frosting on them, or put frosting in a bag and pipe onto cupcakes (I simply cut a hole in the corner of a plastic sandwich bag).

Honey-Peach Sauce

This stuff is incredibly easy to make, and takes about 10-15 min. I had it on top of homemade belgian waffles, which was divine, but I suspect it'd be equally good stirred in with yogurt or piled on top of vanilla ice cream.

 

Ingredients

4 peaches, washed and thinly sliced (you can peel too, I left them with the peel)

1/4 cup honey

pinch cinnamon, to taste

Directions

1. Combine peaches and honey in a small saucepan (you can add a little water if needed to make sure the peaches don't scorch). 

2. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon, and stir over medium heat until cooked down, about 10 min. 

3. Serve warm over pancakes, waffles, or ice cream.

Emily Dickinson's "Cocoanut Cake"

53.

GOD gave a loaf to every bird,
But just a crumb to me;
I dare not eat it, though I starve,—
My poignant luxury
To own it, touch it, prove the feat
That made the pellet mine,—
Too happy in my sparrow chance
For ampler coveting.
It might be famine all around,
I could not miss an ear,
Such plenty smiles upon my board,
My garner shows so fair.
I wonder how the rich may feel,—
An Indiaman—an Earl?
I deem that I with but a crumb
Am sovereign of them all.

April is National Poetry Month. Although this post comes at the end of the month, it doesn't hurt to end with a bang. I was inspired by an article that I read in NPR a few months ago about Emily Dickinson. We're all well aware of her poetic prowess, but apparently she was also a proficient baker (actually, although no one knew about her poetry in her lifetime, she was well known in Amherst for her breads and cakes, going so far as to lower baskets of gingerbread from the second-story window in her house to neighborhood children). One of her handwritten recipes - for "cocoanut cake" - was put on display in New York recently. I'm nowhere near there, but thanks to the power of the internet, I can access and share a copy:

In honor of Poetry Month, my goal was to remain as close to Emily Dickinson's original as possible. This meant using simple traditional ingredients and mixing everything by hand, which is well worth the effort - but quite a workout if you're a runner like me with no upper body strength. As long as the butter has had time to soften, this task is definitely doable. Although the recipe itself doesn't call for icing, a simple boiled icing was common for cakes of the era; my only change was to add lime juice and some lime zest for extra flavor (I used granulated sugar, which made delicious icing, but was a little grainy in texture, so I'd recommend powdered sugar instead). The icing made way more than I needed for a single loaf, which sounds like a good reason to make two loaves' worth next time! The cake is deliciously moist and fluffy, although it's also dense (much like a pound cake). The cake itself has a nice subtle sweetness, and the lime icing adds a nice sweet tang to it. Turns out it's not just Emily Dickinson's poetry that I enjoy!

Ingredients

Coconut Cake:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup whole milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup grated coconut*

Lime Boiled Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice + 1 Tbsp water

1 egg white

2 tsp freshly grated lime zest

Directions

For Cake:

1.  Cream together butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.

2. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add milk and mix well.

3. Sift together flour and baking powder, then add in portions to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined.

4. Gently fold coconut into batter, stirring just until mixed.

5. Pour batter into a lightly greased and floured 9x5" loaf pan.

6. Bake at 325 degrees F for 50-60 min, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool for ~10 min, then turn cake out onto a wire rack and let cool for 10-15 min more before applying icing.

For Icing:

1. Stir together sugar and lime juice/water in a small saucepan. Gently boil while stirring frequently (stirring is key - sugar can easily burn!).

2. Meanwhile, beat egg white in a small mixing bowl until soft peaks form.

3. Once sugar mixture has formed a thick syrup, pour over egg white and beat until cool.

4. Stir in lime zest, then use to ice cake.

*This is the one place where I did cheat; if you don't want to take the time to grate a fresh coconut, simply add warm water to unsweetened dried coconut and allow to rehydrate for 15-20 min, then drain excess water before adding coconut to batter.