Betty Kaiser
This has been a strange summer for fruit growers. Everything from strawberries to peaches has come on late in the season. So if you’re like me, you’re overwhelmed with canning, freezing and cooking. Right now, I’m up to my ears in peeling and preparing peaches.
Improved Elberta are my favorite canning peaches but this has been such a hard year for growers that I was afraid to wait for them to ripen. So, I settled for the Suncrest peaches out at Detering Orchards. I love their rosy red color, texture, yummy peach fragrance and the fact that they are (normally) freestone.
I think this is the first year that I’ve ever been so frustrated trying to get pits out of freestone peaches. In spite of being perfectly ripe, the flesh hung onto the pits for dear life. My husband came in to help me peel and after watching me struggle, he confidently advised, “Betty, split them first, twist and they’ll come right off.”
Yeah, right. How long have I been doing this? The old tried and true method wasn’t working. So, I immediately sweetly responded, “Tell me something I don’t know. It isn’t working!” As he would soon learn.
We both ended up struggling to pit that entire flat of peaches. The pits simply would not come out whole. They would split down the middle and have to be dug out of the peach with a spoon. That of course, would lead to the flesh tearing and us having to slice the peaches into jars instead of halves.
The nice part about the ordeal was that I had lots of irregular shaped peach pieces for pies and ice cream topping. ‘Waste not, want not,’ is my motto. Last year for-instance, I made and canned some peach pie filling and even froze a couple of cobblers from jagged peach pieces.
Now, if you’ve eaten peaches every way that you can think of, here are a couple more peach pie recipes and one for peach topping for you to try. The first pie recipe is cool and refreshing. It can be made ahead to serve company but don’t forget that a simple, quick, old fashioned, baked, two crust peach pie never goes out of style. It’s also a good ‘keeper’ when some of the fancier ones are not. Enjoy!
Rock Creek Lake Fresh Peach Pie
Sunset magazine 2001
Single Crust Pastry to line bottom of pie pan
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 1/2 cups sliced peeled firm-ripe peaches (about 4 lb.)
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup lemon juice
With a fork, prick bottom and sides of unbaked pastry in pan at about 1-inch intervals. Bake in a 375° regular or convection oven until golden, 15 to 20 minutes; let cool on a rack.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Spread evenly over bottom of cool pastry.
In a blender or food processor, whirl 1 cup sliced peaches, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, orange juice, and cornstarch until smooth. Pour into a 3- to 4-quart pan; stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils and thickens, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
Add remaining 5 1/2 cups peaches to hot peach glaze and mix to coat slices. Let cool until tepid, about 25 minutes, then scrape onto cream cheese mixture in crust.
Chill, uncovered, until firm enough to cut, at least 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve, or invert a large bowl over pie (it shouldn't touch fruit) and chill up to 1 day.
Serve with sweetened whipped cream flavored with orange zest.
OLD-FASHIONED TWO-CRUST PEACH PIE
9” double crust pie pastry (top and bottom)
5 cups sliced peeled peaches
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
Cinnamon sugar
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with one of the crusts.
Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour over the peaches, and mix gently. Pour into the pie crust, and dot with butter.
Cover with the other pie crust, and fold the edges under. Flute the edges to seal or press the edges with the tines of a fork dipped in egg. Cut several slits in the top crust to vent steam. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 350° F. and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the vents. If the edges brown too fast, cover them with strips of aluminum foil about halfway through baking. Cool before serving. Especially good served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
FRESH PEACH TOPPING
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
3/4 c. orange juice
3 to 4 med. peaches, peeled, diced
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring, if desired
In medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in orange juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in peaches and almond flavoring. Cool.
Serve as ice cream topping or on angel food cake, pancakes, waffles or whatever strikes your fancy. 3 cups.
Keep it simple and keep it seasonal!
Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes
that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.
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