Peaches and cream coffee cake

Somehow, a few weeks ago, the conversation in my office turned to the fact that I hadn't baked in a while. And then there were suggestions of what I should bake. The end result stemmed from a comment about the coffee cake at a local restaurant, Peaches.

I love finding recipes for things made at restaurants (more on those later, like Chipotle's cilantro lime rice). So when I did a quick search and found this pretty coffee cake on the Betty Crocker website, I was sold.

I made it for my coworkers, and it was easy and delicious. And got gobbled up FAST. The only complication I had was when it came to overlapping the strips of dough ... I don't think I really succeeded at that part. I ended up just kind of pulling some pieces over other pieces and crossing my fingers that it would all work out. But I can tell you that it didn't really matter - the peach pie filling covers it up, and it tasted amazing.

The cake part of this recipe was light and buttery, and the cream cheese filling and peach pie filling added just the right amount of sugary sweetness. I usually don't taste subtleties like lemon juice, but in this recipe, I did, and it added a perfect touch of tang and tart to the doughy, sweet rest of the cake. I can't wait to make this with other flavors of pie filling, too - I'm thinking cherry might be next :)

Ingredients:
Cream Cheese Filling
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Coffee Cake
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup firm butter or margarine
2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (21 oz) peach pie filling
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, if desired

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening. In small bowl, beat all cream cheese filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth; set aside.

2. In medium bowl, cut 3 oz cream cheese and the butter into Bisquick mix, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are the size of small peas. Stir in milk. Place dough on surface sprinkled with Bisquick mix; roll in Bisquick mix to coat. Shape into ball; knead 8 to 10 times.

3. Roll or pat dough into 12x8-inch rectangle. Place on cookie sheet. Spread cream cheese filling down center of rectangle. Make cuts, 2 1/2 inches long, at 1-inch intervals on 12-inch sides of rectangle. Fold strips over filling, overlapping strips. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over top.

4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden; cool 10 minutes. Carefully place on serving platter. Spoon pie filling down center of coffee cake. Sprinkle with walnuts. Serve warm or cool. Store covered in refrigerator.

Source: Betty Crocker

Blueberry-peach custard pie

I apologize for posting this months after I made it, when the fruits aren't exactly in season and it more pumpkin time than peach time. I, uh, kind of had a baby, and while I was baking before and after her arrival, I've been very slow to catch up on actually blogging about things. But this dessert is very light, very crisp, and very delicious, so if you're looking for something easy to remind you of the days of summer, this is a good bet. And you could always use frozen fruit!

The only issue I had with this pie is that I devoured it. It was simple to make and was a nice change of pace from the cookies and bars I was making this summer.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup skim milk
3/4 cup (6 ounces) nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of salt
Store-bought, prepared pie crust dough (enough for one crust)
1 cup peeled, sliced peaches
1 cup blueberries

Directions:
Position a rack in lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.

To make the filling, in a medium bowl combine the sugar, milk, yogurt, eggs, flour, cornstarch, almond extract and salt. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll a sheet of pie crust into a 12-inch circle. Place the crust in the pie pan and trim so it overhangs evenly by about 1-inch.

Fold the edges under and crimp or flute the edge with your fingers or a fork. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet.

Arrange peaches in the bottom of the crust and top with the blueberries in an even layer. Pour the filling on top (the fruit will float but this won't affect the final results). Bake for 25 minutes.

After the pie has baked for 25 minutes and the filling is beginning to set, remove from oven and cover the edges of the crust with foil to help prevent over browning. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and return the pie to oven.

Bake until a knife inserted at the center of the pie comes out clean, another 20 to 25 minutes (the pie may puff up quite a bit but will settle during cooling). Let cool for 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm or refrigerate until cold and serve chilled.


Source: St. Petersburg Times/Associated Press

Peachy Pancakes

A few weeks ago, Mike and I went to the local Peach Festival. It's an annual event waaaaaayyyy out in Queen Creek. That's a pretty big haul for us in Northwest Phoenix, but it's definitely worth the drive.

The weather was beautiful and the homemade peach pie was amazing. I was hoping to bring home a huge box of peaches and make a Peach Cobbler, like I did last year. But the peaches weren't quite as ripe this year, and I could only find a handful to take with me.

So I pondered what I might be able to make with just a few peaches. Inspiration hit me when I saw the big line at the festival for the homemade peach pancakes. I had just bought a pint of buttermilk because I had been craving pancakes! So the next morning, I mixed up some batter and threw in a couple of fresh, cut up peaches.

I used this buttermilk pancake recipe, which is a major winner. I did add a teaspoon of vanilla because I remembered it tasting a tad bland last time. Let me tell you: These were really good.

Yum:

A peachy time

When my parents came into town, I wanted to do something new, something different. They’ve been to Arizona more times than any of us can count, and they’ve seen pretty much all the touristy stuff there is to see.
Enter, Peach Festival.
I’d always heard good things about this festival, which takes place at Schnepf Farms just one weekend out of the year. They pick tons and tons of juicy peaches off tons and tons of peach trees, and they sell them (along with arts and crafts, homemade jams, and other fun treats).
So we piled into the rental car and headed alllllll the waaaaayyyyy to Queen Creek, about an hour and 15 minutes away.
And let me tell you. It was worth it.
First of all, there was this:

Yes, that’s right. Homemade peach ice cream. I cannot even describe how creamily awesome this was. Now I want to learn to make ice cream.
Then came the main event: the peaches. I bought a big box of them. Like, 25 peaches. Twenty-five of the juiciest, ripest peaches I have ever tasted. They’re so juicy, you practically have to drink them. See:

I took 8 of the peaches and made this:

Yes, that’s right. Peach cobbler. Where did I get the recipe, you wonder? From Carrie Schnepf, of Schnepf Farms.
Her farm, her peaches, her cobbler recipe. I knew this was going to be good.
I hit a few hiccups, admittedly. The recipe called for a 2-quart baking dish. I opted for a deep, round 2-quart baking dish.
The result was that the cobbler part became too concentrated at the top, melded together, and didn’t mix properly with the peaches, as it would have if it were more spread out.
So, after baking it for 30 minutes, realizing the mistake, and discussing baking strategy with my mom, I dumped it into a 9x12 dish, sprinkled a little more sugar on top, and threw it back in for another 10 minutes.

The cobbler part still turned out a bit too soft, but it didn't matter. It was DELICIOUS. It’s good at room temperature, it’s good cold, and I suspect it would be good with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Say hello to my new May tradition.

Ingredients

Filling:
8 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

1/4 cup boiling water

Sprinkled topping:
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2-quart baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend in butter with fingertips or pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.
Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them.
Mix 3 tablespoons white sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon and sprinkle onto cobble. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Source: Carrie Schnepf, azcentral.com