Peachy recipes for midsummer

By Susan McClanahan

The aroma of fresh ripe peaches is like none other. I recall as a child going to Rauh's Orchard and the wonderful fragrance that filled the air when I stepped out of the car. Immediately my brother and I would run to play in the creek in front of the orchard and on the low-water bridge at the entrance. My dad would grab a fresh ripe peach and just twist it apart, and the juice would run down his arm as he ate it right off the tree.

Today I am passing along a few peach recipes you may enjoy and that possibly could stir some memories of days gone by. Enjoy!

Peach Pecan Crisp

Filling:

• 5 cups thinly-sliced peaches, about 5 or 6 medium peaches
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

• 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, adjust to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted pecans, chopped or halved
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• Vanilla ice cream for serving, if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8- or 9-inch baking dish (circle or square). Set aside.

Make the filling: Combine peaches with the flour, sugar, salt and vanilla in a large bowl. Toss gently until combined. Spoon into prepared baking dish.

Make the topping: Whisk the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, salt and pecans together. Make sure to get out all those brown sugar lumps. Add the butter and stir with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon to break up the butter until the mixture is crumbly (a fork works for this, too). Evenly sprinkle topping over peaches.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the peach juice is bubbling on the edges. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm, room temperature or cold. Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Fresh Peach Salsa

• 3 ripe peaches
• 1 Roma tomato, roughly chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño, seeds removed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 small purple onion, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Garnish: additional cilantro

Carefully cut peaches into 1/4-inch cubes. Put all the other ingredients in a chopper or food processor for a rough chop. Don't pulverize, but get the pieces pretty small. Mix the peaches and salsa mix together. For more spice, keep the seeds in the jalapeño or add more jalapeño. Yield: 2 cups.

Peach Pie Oatmeal Cookies

These chewy cookies taste like peach pie. They'll stay soft and chewy for at least a week if stored in an airtight container. Yields: 15 cookies.

• 1 cup instant oats
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup diced peaches

Whisk together the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg and almond extract. Stir in the honey. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the peaches. Chill for at least 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a spoon and spatula, drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, ensuring the mounds are as tall as they are wide. Bake at 325 degrees for 11 to 14 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Easy Peach Tea Recipe

Peach syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 or 3 sliced fresh peaches

Tea:

• 3 tea bags
• 6 cups water

Bring syrup ingredients to boil, then reduce heat to medium. Crush peach slices as you stir to dissolve sugar. Turn off heat, cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Boil water and brew tea, letting steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and refrigerate. Strain syrup through a fine strainer to remove fruit pieces. Add syrup to tea and serve over ice.

Peach Pound Cake

For the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups flour, plus a little extra to dust the pan
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and diced

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 to 3 tablespoons milk or cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and add a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour to pan. Shake it around to coat well, then remove and throw away any excess.

Beat butter until creamy in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add sugar and beat at medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears and is incorporated into batter.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking soda. Add to butter mixture, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat batter on low just until blended after each addition. With the mixer on low, stir in vanilla and peaches and continue to beat for about 1 minute. Using a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, give the batter a final stir and make sure the peaches are mixed evenly throughout the batter. Pour the batter into prepared pan, filling the pan only 3/4 full, and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes, testing until a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, without any crumbs. Cool pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then invert pan onto a plate, removing cake from pan, and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make glaze: Add powdered sugar to a medium bowl. Add milk or cream to powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, mixing well after each addition, until you reach desired, pourable consistency. Pour over completely cooled cake. Let cake sit for glaze to set, then serve.

Have a great week and, until next time, happy cooking.