Peaches: In a Cobbler, Cake, and Mason Jar

Oh, peaches. A swirl of red and cream and tangerine on the outside, while inside the soft orange flesh gives way to a burnt umber center. If that’s not enough to hook you, consider the almost ridiculous sensuality of a peach’s shape – round and dimpled, sometimes deeply cleaved, always a deep blush.

Then there’s what happens when you bite into a peach – the slight resistance of the skin, the give of warm flesh, and the explosion of sweetness on your tongue while juice runs down your chin …

Oh, dear. Here I’ve gone and lost myself in peaches. It’s not hard to do. As you can see from the recipes below, in the two weeks I’ve spent away from the keyboard, I’ve been enchanted by this most wonderful of summer fruits.  

Part of the attraction is that because peaches are so fabulous on their own terms, they don’t need exotic ingredients or complex baking apparatus to shore up their already stellar performance. As a result, the ingredient lists in the recipes are pretty basic and inexpensive, too – so if you bake, even just sometimes, you likely have everything in your pantry, save maybe the panko bread crumbs and almond extract for the peach cake. And even those can be substituted – just use regular bread crumbs and vanilla.

As for preserving peaches through the winter, check out the last recipe for Peach Preserves. It was an attempt at jam gone wrong … but then it turned out very, very right.

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Photo from TasteofHome.com ... cobbler is maybe one of the most difficult things to photograph.

Peach Cobbler. Oh, do I love a cobbler … and this one has the most amazing dough: the edges caramelize into a satisfying crispy-chewy crunch, but the center remains soft and dreamy as a pillow. The original recipe hails from Paula Deen; my concoction increases the peach content (and the baking time) so that the peach stays primary in every bite.

 

Ingredients

5 cups peeled, sliced peaches

2 cups sugar, divided

½ cup water

8 Tbsp butter, melted

1 ½ cups self-rising flour

1 ½ cups whole milk

Ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Find a 9×11 inch (3-quart) baking dish. But a word of warning: the long, shallow pan is essential. I tried using a deep, circular 3-quart dish, and the middle of the cobbler was still raw after an extended baking time – ick.

In a large saucepan, mix the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water. Over medium heat (you don’t want to burn the sugar mixture), bring the peaches to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

While the peaches summer, place the butter in the baking dish. Pop the dish in the oven and melt the butter. Cool slightly after melting.

As your butter is melting and the peaches simmer, whisk together the remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk. Do this slowly and carefully, or you’ll end up with unsightly clumps. The batter should be smooth and velvety when you’re done.

Pour the velvety batter over the melted butter. Don’t stir. DO NOT. Trust me.

Using a slotted spoon, place the peaches gently on top of your batter/butter concoction. Do your best to keep the peaches evenly distributed throughout the pan.

Then, gently and evenly pour two about 2/3 of the leftover syrup on top of the peaches.  Don’t stir! Have no fear – the batter will rise to the top during baking.

Sprinkle the top with ground cinnamon.

Bake 45-55 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. The top should be golden-brown, and the edges should be crispy.

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Dave’s Peach Birthday Cake. This looks like a fussier dessert than the cobbler, but it’s not that much more work – especially because you don’t need to peel the peaches. The end result is a sweet confection that uses a hint of almond extract to amp up the range of flavors. And did I mention that this cake is gorgeous? It’s the bring-it-to-a-dinner-party-and-listen-to-the-ooohs-and-ahhhhs-gorgeous. The original recipe, called Summer Peach Cake from the most recent issue of Cooks Illustrated, recommends using a springform pan, but I don’t own one … so I decided to see how the cake baked up without one. Turns out a 9-inch glass round pan is just fine – just increase the baking time a smidge. The version below takes that into consideration, as well as a few other little tweaks. Serves 8-10.

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh, ripe peaches, pitted and cut into ½ inch thick wedges

4 tsp lemon juice, divided

1/3 cup plus 6 Tbsp sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp salt

½ cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

¼ cup sour cream

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp plus 1/8 tsp almond extract

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs, finely crushed (plain breadcrumbs will do in a pinch, too)

Instructions

Place oven rack in middle position; preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable spray.

In a medium bowl, gently combine 20 peach wedges with 2 tsp lemon juice and 1 Tbsp sugar. Set aside for use as garnish on the top of the cake.

Cut the rest of the peach wedges into thirds, so you create relatively uniform chunks. Place the chunks in a bowl and gently combine them with remaining 2 tsp lemon juice and 2 Tbsp sugar.  Then transfer the peaches to the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the peach chunks until the juices begin to thicken and caramelize, about 20-25 minutes. Let the peaches cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the cake.

Reduce oven heat to 350. Coat a 9” round baking pan with vegetable spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a larger bowl, whisk brown sugar, 1/3 cup sugar, and eggs until well combined. Slowly whisk in butter; then add sour cream, vanilla, and 1/3 almond extract. Keep whisking until everything comes together in a uniform mixture.

Add flour to the wet mixture and whisk until just combined.

Place half of your batter into the prepared 9” round pan. Using a spatula, spread the batter evenly to the pan edges.

Sprinkle the panko bread crumbs onto the cooled peach chunks; toss to coat. (The bread crumbs soak up the peach juice and keep the flavor intact while preventing the cake from becoming too mushy).

Arrange the peach chunks in a single layer on top of the batter. Gently press the peaches into the batter, and be sure to fit as many peaches as possible into the single layer. You might have a few chunks left over; if so, pop them into your mouth as you move on to the next step.

Gently and evenly pour the remaining batter over the peach chunks. Then use a spatula to even out the batter and completely cover the peach chunks.

Arrange reserved peach wedges, edges kissing, in a ring on top of the cake. Save two or three small wedges for the center.

In a small bowl, stir the remaining 33 Tbsp sugar with 1/8 tsp almond extract until the sugar is moistened. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the cake.

Bake 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (I baked mine for 65 minutes and probably could have done 5 more minutes.) Let cool in pan for 2-3 hours prior to serving for easiest slice removal from pan.

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Peach Preserves. I wanted to make peach jam without pectin, and there was a recipe in my handy-dandy copy of The Art of Preserving. But I quickly discovered the cooking time wasn’t at all accurate; it said to simmer the peaches for about 15 minutes, after which the liquid would be mostly gone.  I let mine reduce for over an hour … and then gave up.  It was nearing midnight and I had to drive 8 hours to North Carolina in the morning with two little girls. So I ended up with Peach Preserves rather than jam, but I very much like these preserves. They taste exactly like a peach picked right off the tree, thanks to low sugar content and some generous, fresh squeeze d lemon juice. I have a feeling that, in a few months when the first flurry whitens the sky, I’ll crack open a jar of preserves and slather them on a thick slice of warm bread:  the full taste of summer in the middle of a snowstorm. Yields 8 half-pints.

Ingredients

5 ½ lbs peaches, fuzz gently rubbed from skins (don’t peel them … the pectin in peaches is mostly in the skin)

3 cups sugar

¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Halve and pit the peaches; then slice them into ½ inch thick wedges.

In a large bowl, gently toss the peaches and sugar. Cover the bowl and let stand at room temperature for 4 hours.

When you and the peach mixture are ready, place the peaches in a large pot and add the lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, for about an hour. The liquid should have reduced and thickened slightly.

While the peaches are cooking, wash and sterilize your jars, lids, and screw bands. (For complete home canning instructions, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia and click on ‘Using Boiling Water Canners).) Get your hot water bath ready.

Once the preserves are done cooking, ladle the hot preserves into the jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and wipe the rims clean. Put on the screw bands and turn until fingertip-tight.

Process 10 minutes in boiling hot water bath. After the jars are done, turn off the burner and remove the lid from the canner. Let the jars rest 5 minutes. Then remove them to a clean dishcloth on the kitchen counter. Let them stand undisturbed for 12-24 hours to guarantee the best seal.

As long as the jars seal properly, they’ll keep for a year in a cool, dark place.