Wee Bee Jammin' with Peaches

Hello, Peaches!

We bought a few bushels of Georgia peaches at a truck sale, and, after eating our fill of those fresh treats, we still had a dozen or so left over, and nobody wanted to let them go to waste. Some went into the freezer, some into the dehydrator, and the rest became jelly-jammy preserves.

And I ordered a batch of labels to go with them (and whatever other preserving projects I have coming up in the next season).
 

my new label

Also, I managed to make the jelly-jammy-preserves with no sugar or artificial sweeteners added. So, decadence comes with a low degree of guilt, and only three ingredients: fresh peaches, frozen apple juice concentrate, and pectin for sugar-free recipes (I used Sure-Jell in the pink box).

That kind of victory is worth sharing.

If you want to try this at your house, you're going to want to get all your stuff together in advance, because, once you start cooking, you won't have the time.

You'll need:

1 3-quart (or larger) nonreactive (non-aluminum) saucepan
1 smaller saucepan
1 wooden spoon or heat-resistant silicone stirring spatula
5 half-pint mason jars with lids and rings
1 pair of tongs
1 ladle
1 canning funnel
1 small bowl
1 regular metal spoon (any metal table spoon or soup spoon will do)
clean dampened cloth or paper towel
1 canning kettle (with rack), filled with enough warm (not hot!) water to cover your jars with an inch over their tops

You will also need to make certain you have a cleared work space immediately next to your stove top. I usually put all my gear in a paper-towel-lined jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides), to minimize the mess I'll have to clean up afterward.

And you really do want to do a hot bath or pressure bath with these, even more than with regular, sugary jams, just to be on the safe side. If any jars aren't completely sealed by the end of the process, you'll want to immediately refrigerate them, & eat the jam up within a few weeks. Properly bath-sealed, they can last on the shelf for up to a year.

 Simple Peach Jam/Preserves

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh peaches, peeled and cut into small pieces (or coarsely mashed)
1 can (12 oz.) frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 package sugar-free pectin

Directions:

Clean and sterilize 5 half-pint jars (if you have a dishwasher, run the sterilizing cycle shortly before you're ready to start cooking, and allow the jars to remain hot in it until you're ready to use them. If your kitchen is not equipped with this appliance, cover your washed and rinsed jars with water in a pot on the stove, bring to a boil, and then leave at low simmer until you're ready to use them).

In small saucepan (2 –3 cups), cover jar lids with water, bring to a low simmer (do not boil!).

In a 3-quart (or larger) saucepan, stir together peach pieces and apple juice concentrate. Sprinkle pectin on top, allow it to begin absorbing moisture, then stir in completely.

Turn heat on to medium-high, and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a full rolling boil (it should continue to boil even while you stir it).

Allow to boil for precisely one minute. (During this time, I fish the jars out of their hot space, and set them beside the stove).

Remove from heat. With regular metal spoon, skim any foam off the top, and set that aside in small bowl.*

Using the funnel, ladle jam into the jars, leaving at least 1/2 inch head space in the jars. Wipe rims of jars with damp cloth or dampened paper towel, to remove any residue.

Using tongs, remove lids, one at a time, from hot water, and fit onto jars. Secure the lids with their rings, finger-tight (you're not trying to make it difficult for the next guy to twist the ring off. Just bring it to the point where it shows real resistance).

Place jars in canning bath. On high heat, bring to full boil, continue to boil steadily for 10 minutes.

Remove jars, allow them to cool on a rack or towel.

*The foam that you skimmed off the top makes a great treat for kids. I have many a fond memory of being handed a frothy jam sample smeared on a saltine cracker.

Note: the fruit usually rises to the top, during the process. Once the jam is cooled to room temperature, you may wish to give each jar a gentle tumble to distribute the fruit evenly amid the jelly (pretend they're fragile snow globes – don't shake & get 'em bubbly, but just give them a little rotation of the wrist until they're mixed to your liking). In the case of my last batch, I had to do this twice (once after the photo session) before the jelly was set sufficiently to hold those bits in place.

Also, the Sure-Jell instructions suggest adding Splenda, for people who prefer their peach jam to have more sweetener in it. IMHO, the concentrated apple juice is enough. If you're the kind of person who adds sugar (or its lab-built substitutes – or for that matter, even honey) to perfectly good, sweet, ripe Georgia peaches, I don't think I want to know you. 

A Peach of a Pie... Peach Curd in a Coconutty Shell, and THEN Some

In case anybody had failed to figure this out, yet…I like food. I like to eat it, I like to look at it, I like to read about it, I like to photograph and paint it and I like to talk (and write) about it. But most of all,  I like to prepare it. Of course, nine times out of ten, when I prepare something, I'm expected to eat it, since I don't work for a professional kitchen (and, no, I have no real desire to do so, since I enjoy the freedom that a private home kitchen affords me).

Now is the season of birthdays in our circle, and this, of course, grants me the excuse to bake unabashedly, and with great variety, with fewer concerns about my own personal girth. The treats get shared, or even given away.

In this case, one of my long-time friends, like me, is on a restricted regimen…she's on an allergy- and celiac-diet – gluten free – and her daughter-in-law has been encouraging her to try, as much as possible, a paleo diet. Well, this isn't exactly paleo, except that the crust could get there, if one wanted to do so, but the entire dish is without gluten, and without other chemicals she has had allergies to. Plus, her husband is a fan of peaches and pies, so there is that. 

The crust is made using coconut flour (yes, there are recipes which use it as the primary flour!), shortening (in this case, butter, so, not exactly paleo, but ultra nibble-worthy, so I made two crusts & popped one in the freezer for later in the week), and eggs (with a little honey, just for the heck of it, but that's not essential to the structure). In essence, it's a pre-baked cookie crust.

The filling is a bigger project. I made a peach curd from peach nectar cooked way down, plus some flash-frozen peaches (thawed and pureed), some egg yolks, and a great honkin' amount of sugar… hey, it's a birthday pie! It's supposed to be decadent!

It was topped with more raw peaches steeped overnight in lime juice, then drained and coated with honey, and, finally, decorated with my favorite stabilized whipped cream topping. One could, I suppose, make it a peach meringue pie if one wanted, since the curd uses yolks and not the albumen, but I'm reserving the egg whites for next week's birthday chocolate sponge cake. Whippy cream it is, this time.

I made a double batch of everything, though, so one went home with the birthday girl, and the other is going on the table Friday evening for our weekly supper. I recommend you do the same, just because.

Coconut flour pie crust (single crust)

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, melted 

2 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons honey (optional if this crust is for a savory pie)

3/4 cup coconut flour 

Directions: 

Set rack in oven to near the bottom. Preheat oven to 400º F.

Heavily grease a 9" pie pan. 

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter or coconut oil at low power until almost completely melted (about 1 minute. If it's not near melting point, continue to heat in 20-second increments until all but a few lumps of solid remain. Remove from the microwave and allow the solids to gradually melt, and the shortening to cool slightly. 

Add eggs, salt, and honey and thoroughly mix. Add coconut flour and stir until dough holds together. 

 

Gather dough into a ball and pat into greased 9" pie pan, and prick the dough with a fork. 

Bake 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before filling. 

And this is my latest choice for filling:

Peach Curd 

Ingredients: 

4 egg yolks

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup fresh peach puree (or frozen, thawed)*

1 Tablespoon lime juice (or lemon, if you must)

6 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions: 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, beat yolks with sugar, peach purée and lime juice. Simmer, stirring constantly, until it becomes thickened. 

Remove from heat, begin whisking in butter a few small pieces at a time. Stir in vanilla, then strain curd through a fine sieve. 

Pour into pre-baked cookie-type (sweet) pie shell or tart shells. Or, refrigerate it in a covered container and later you can spread it on your waffles, toast, etc. 

 *I actually started with a liter of high-quality peach nectar, and set it to simmer until it reduced to just over 1 1/2 cups (it took about 90 minutes on medium-low heat), and, since I was doubling the recipe, filled in by running a handful of frozen peaches (after thawing) through the food processor. But that's because I had time and curiosity. Using fresh or thawed peaches, you're likely to have a brighter color to the puree. The nectar darkened with some interesting near-caramelization as it cooked down. The flavor was darned spiffy.

It's too bad I don't have a good excuse to make a dozen of these for the family…just so I can keep licking the bowls, if nothing more.

Moms are peachy keen...so give them a peachy cake like this

Let them eat flowers and stuff

We observe Mother's Day in this house pretty much the same way we observe every other day of the year: enjoy each other's company. This year, though, we  also get to toss in a couple of birthdays (not actually today, but with schedules being what they are, we consolidated).

In light of said natal anniversaries, I got cracking and worked up a cake or two. When I plan cakes for a crowd, I usually try to make one of them gluten-free, just for the heck of it (all right. It's so that, when it works, I can enjoy what everybody else does, and without the unpleasant side effects. So sue me).

At any rate, this was no exception. The only change is that, in going GF, I don't yet have the flour mix right for a fluffy, non-bricklike layer cake not involving chocolate. For some reason, I have no trouble making my chocolate cakes delicate and flavorful, but vanilla or coconut...plenty of flavor, for a doorstop. I suppose I could invest in some big brand-name GF cake flour, but then I'd have to freeze it for those months when I'm not baking birthday cakes…so, no.

Still, the regular people's cake does quite nicely. And I have meds and time, to get over the damage of my misbehaving.

Meanwhile.

It begins with a cake.

Two thick layers of loveliness.

Don't worry. It gets straightened out, eventually.

Embraced by peaches. Again, two thick layers, of neato keen.

This was the gluten free base. It sagged. I suppose I could have used it as a bird bath. The regular cake stayed tall and tender…and then some.

And then there is the fluff. All over. But not store-bought, this is meringue with cha-cha.

Sticky, gooey, fluffy, lighter than a marshmallow simple Italian Meringue with some to spare.

Plus some homemade candied violets.

I recommend getting the help of a young'un or two to pick a large supply of violets, (including a whole mess of white violets, if they grow near you) and use extrafine sugar on them.

All tied together with coconut, in syrup form and toasted flakes.

Mmmmmmm…coconutty! Heh heh!

Here comes the coconutty cake recipe, and the peachy filling recipe. And the meringue frosting recipe. You can click through on the above link for how to make the candied flowers, which can be made as much as two weeks ahead, but DO NOT REFRIGERATE. The cold will cause condensation which will turn the candy sticky rather than crisp, and you will be left with limp, colorless masses of useless carbohydrates of no particular charm.

The cake and coconut, also, may be prepared a day or two in advance, and, in both cases, not chilled. 

The peach filling can be made as much as a day ahead, and kept in the fridge.

The meringue needs to be fresh on the day of serving the cake.

Cake Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk (I used powdered, and mixed it with skim milk)

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs, separated

1 cup sweetened cream of coconut (Coco Lopez or Coco Reàl will do nicely. Do NOT use light versions. That would be just silly, considering how decadent the cake already is.)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-3 cups unsweetened coconut flakes

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF, with rack placed in the center.

Grease two DEEP 9-inch cake pans (at least 1 1/2 inch deep), line the bottoms with parchment, and coat parchment and sides of pans with butter and flour.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt (if you are using buttermilk powder, mix it in here). 

In a small bowl, whisk milk (buttermilk, if you're using the straight stuff) and sour cream together .

In a large stand-mixer bowl, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. With mixer still running on medium, gradually add in the sugar, and beat until creamy and fluffy (at least 5-7 minutes). Add in egg yolks one at a time, beating them in completely before adding the next. Then mix in coconut cream and vanilla.

Keeping mixer running on low, add in 1/4 of the dry ingredients, allow it to fully mix in, then add about 1/4 of the milk/sour cream mixture and be sure to allow it to fully mix in. Add another 1/4 of the dry, mix in, then the milk…repeat this process until the whole thing is completely combined.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until light and fluffy, forming firm, moist peaks. Gently fold this into the large bowl of batter. 

When it is all mixed together, divide batter between the two prepared cake pans. Place on middle rack of oven. Bake at least 45 minutes, or until a toothpick or tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven but LEAVE THE OVEN ON.  Allow to cool on a rack, in pans, for ten minutes, then remove from pans to continue to cool. When they are completely cool (daddy-oh!), you may wish to take a long serrated knife and trim to make it flat and even. For myself, I don't mind a little hummock to build upon. If you are not frosting this right away, cover loosely with plastic or put in cake box and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a jelly-roll pan (a sided cookie sheet), evenly spread coconut flakes. Place on center rack of oven. Bake 12-15 minutes, stirring once at about midpoint, until golden brown and toasty.

Remove from oven, cool. Set aside for end stages of decorating.

Filling Ingredients:

1/2 cup peach preserves

2 lbs. frozen peaches, thawed (or 3 lbs. fresh peaches, peeled and pitted) cut into 1/2 to 1 inch chunks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus 1 teaspoon finely-grated lemon peel (optional)

Filling Directions:

In a small saucepan on low to medium heat, melt the peach preserves.

In large bowl, mix peaches, sugar, lemon juice and peel, add liquid peach preserves, stir to cover. Allow to stand. After a few minutes, drain away liquids. (If you are preparing ahead, allow the liquid to stay until just before you apply peaches to the layers of the cake.) If you want, you can use the liquid in a nice drink, with a little of your cream of coconut and some rum…get creative!

Meringue Frosting Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided

1 1/2 Tablespoons corn syrup

3 Tablespoons water

5 large egg whites, room temperature

Meringue Frosting Directions:

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar, plus corn syrup and water. Using a brush dipped in water, brush down any granules of sugar which might have been clinging to the sides of the pan. Place candy thermometer in pan so that it does not touch the bottom of the pan. On medium to medium-high heat, WITHOUT STIRRING as it heats, bring to a boil and continue to heat until it comes to 238ºF, or soft ball stage (when you drop a small bit of the mixture into a glass of  cool water, it forms a ball as it sinks to the bottom. But use a thermometer. It's much more effective a gauge of whether the syrup is ready).

At the same time you are boiling  the syrup, in a VERY clean LARGE stand mixing bowl with no residue (oils and fatty substances will keep the egg whites from whipping up all fluffy. I have read that some bakers rinse out their bowls with vinegar & then dry with paper towels, before whipping their egg whites, just to be sure), begin to beat the egg whites on medium-high speed. As the egg whites begin to become more frothy, sprinkle in 2 Tablespoons sugar, while continuing to whip until they are at soft peak.. You may be finished with this process a little before the syrup is ready. That is not a problem. The other way around, however…no.  So, if the syrup is heating too quickly, lower the temp a little (very little).

When the eggs are ready and the syrup reaches temperature, set the mixer at medium to high speed and pour syrup in a thin stream into the egg whites. Don't scrape the pan – just let what wants to come out, come out. Scraping may cause crystals to form in the fluff, and you don't need that.

Keep whipping the fluff on medium to high until it cools down to lukewarm (about 7-10 minutes).

Assembly:

As soon as the meringue is cool enough to handle, you'll want to assemble the cake, before the frosting begins to set up.

Place your bottom layer of cake in the center of the plate (or, if you have one, a decorator's turntable covered with parchment) in the middle of a large jelly-roll pan. Spoon a layer of drained peaches onto the cake layer, covering it completely. Pile on a generous amount of meringue frosting, spread evenly. Top with next layer of cake, cover with peaches, completely cover that with meringue. Slather meringue on sides of cake as thickly as you like it, and don't worry about crumbs showing through – you'll be pressing small handfuls of toasted coconut all around those sides. Be aware, the coconutting process is, by its very nature, an untidy one, which is why I suggest not skipping the jelly-roll pan. It will catch the flakes which don't immediately stick to the frosting, rather than letting them fall on the placemat – or, worse, the carpet. Scoop those fallen flakes up from the cookie sheet and add 'em to the next spot. 

If you have candied flowers, use them on top (or, if you have lots of them, stick them also amid the coconut on the sides, too). If you have no flowers, you can coat the top of the cake with more coconut, or you can leave it looking all yummy and fluffy on its own.

Cover without refrigerating. Will keep for up to 2 days, but is best served within an hour of finishing.

Four moms happy, two of them also satisfied with this as a birthday cake.

Note: I made a double batch of peach filling and meringue, as well as extra toasted coconut because I like to use it in other things. I layered the frosting on the sides of both cakes – regular and GF – rather sparingly, because I knew this was going to be a sweet cake, and I didn't need to make that overpowering. Therefore, I had about a pint of fluff left over, which I carefully spooned into a pair of pretty half-pint jars and sent off with a birthday girl, so she can use it to make fluffernutter sandwiches (or fluffernutellas, as she hinted she might) on toast. This is always an option with spare fluff.

If, on the other hand, you're not a big fan of fluff, you can replace the frosting with simple sweetened whipped cream or whipped coconut milk. But then you need to refrigerate the cake once it's assembled, and our fridge refuses to accommodate all that. It says it has enough stuff in it already.

Any way you look at this, though, you should eat it right away. It's too good not to.

The Short Cut Cobbler

There was this bag of peaches, you see.

We bought a bag of fresh ones, but I'm pretty sure they were not exactly local produce. They were a little bruised, and their fuzzy skins were beginning to show some of the same signs of time passing that the human skin does -sagging and getting a little wrinkly. 

With that sort of thing, one really can't make a fresh compote, can one? Even if one has a cup of golden raspberries and a half cup of big red raspberries to add to it, the peaches needed to be cooked, to get the juices from them. It just wasn't going to do.

And then, there was this can of what the Bat and I like to think of as emergency supplies: buttermilk biscuits from ALDI. Pop really likes them, so, when the weather cools off, and we fix stew, we generally toss a batch of those in the oven for him. Sadly, we haven't had a cool enough day this past couple of months, so the container in the fridge was fast approaching its expiration date, and, well, things started coming together in my mind.

After that, it wasn't too long before it started coming together in the kitchen.

Thus was a short cut cobbler born.  Fair notice: it's not an overly sweet version. If you want more sweetness, you can adjust the amount of sugar, honey, etc., to your own tastes - you might put more honey on the biscuit tops, or even dunk them in honey before placing them on top. On the other hand, if you serve this with a good ice cream, any extra sweetness will probably knock you into a sugar coma.

Try it this way first.

Short Cut Cobbler 

Ingredients:

(all these are approximations, according to taste)

about 8 medium fresh peaches
3/4 cup to 1 full cup fresh golden raspberries (or if you have frozen, thaw them)
1/2 cup red raspberries, fresh or thawed
1/4 cup corn starch (or your preferred thickener)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons wild honey (divided)
2 Tablespoons warm water
4 Tablespoons brown sugar (divided)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
pinch nutmeg
1 refrigerated pop-open can of 8 ALDI buttermilk biscuits (okay, you can use another brand, if you must)

Directions:

Blanch peaches by first filling a large pot with enough water to cover the peaches (but leave the peaches out, for now). Prepare a large bowl or sink to hold more than enough cold water to cover the peaches.  Bring pot of water to full boil. Carefully place the peaches in the hot water, allow to simmer about 2 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon or tongs, drop hot peaches into cold water and let swiftly cool down (you can add ice, if you're in a hurry).

When the peaches are cooled, use a paring knife to help remove the skins from the peaches, then slice the peaches, a small section at a time, off the stone and into a medium or large mixing bowl. You should have between 3 and 4 cups of fresh peaches to work with, now.

Add starch, granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and the spices. Stir until everything is mixed well and the peaches are thoroughly covered.

Gently toss in the raspberries. Allow to stand at least 10 minutes, to draw up the juices as the sugar and fruits combine.

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Meanwhile, butter an 8x13x2-inch baking dish (or a 9-inch deep pie dish).

Gently stir the fruit mix and pour into the baking dish.

Open the canister of biscuits (carefully! don't put your eye out with that thing!) and arrange the biscuits over the top of the fruit.

Mix the remaining tablespoon of honey with the warm water, and brush it over the tops of the biscuits with a pastry brush.

Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar generously over the tops of the biscuits.

Bake at 375º F for 20 -25 minutes, or until the top is rich brown and crispy.

Serve hot in bowls, topped with your favorite ice cream.

Peachy Side Up Shortcut Shortcake

The Bat's favorite spice is cardamom. My personal (wink wink) theory is that she just likes the "mom" part of it, but, then again, I'm rather partial to it in some foods, as well. I especially like it with apples and peaches and the like. Therefore, when I run across a simple recipe for peaches which uses some seasonings which I know will overpower the flavor of the fruit, I call out for my 'mom.

I'd been actively searching for a Jacques Pepin concoction involving toasted slices of brioche topped with peaches and cream caramelized (heavy on cognac, of course), and I came across a simpler, comparable dessert in a spiral-bound vanity-press cookbook published by some unnamed Methodist church.

Now, my folks don't to alcohol, for one reason or another, so I don't subject them to it unless it's absolutely impossible to get around it (so far, it hasn't been). Seeing this was an older Methodist cookbook (from back when they served grape juice for communion), there was none of that stuff going into their plans, here. Still, it used a superabundance of nutmeg. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It just didn't seem to allow for pleasure in dining on the peaches themselves. So, I had to pass on that, by my own personal preference.

Either way, the process is simple and the ingredient list is minimal.

Oh, the best part of each of these recipes is, they're not seasonal. They both relied on a big ol' can of cling peaches. So you can fix it any spring morning, if you so desire. You don't have to wait until your orchard is ready for picking.

Peachy Side Up Shortcut Shortcake

A little deranged-looking, but happy, no?

Ingredients:

1 29-oz can of peaches

1 8-oz carton of heavy (whipping) cream

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1 16.3-oz. pkg Pillsbury Honey Butter Grands biscuits

chopped pistachios, pecans or cashews (optional)

Directions:

Drain syrup from can of peaches, pouring it into a skillet. On high, cook until it becomes caramel (about 8-10 minutes). There is no need to stir, but in the last minute or so, give the pan a few swirls or shakes to keep the edges from burning. Stir in the cardamom, cream, and peaches, bring back to boil stirring constantly. Into a 10-inch covered casserole, spoon peaches and arrange cut-side down.Pour cream caramel over them, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

.

Kinda looks like underdone eggs, doesn't it? Doesn't taste that way.

Meanwhile, Preheat oven according to instructions on biscuit container. Open biscuit canister, follow directions for preparation.* Bake.

After the biscuits have cooled sufficiently to handle, place a split biscuit on plate, set peach on top of each half. Spoon caramel cream over top of each half biscuit.**

This dessert can be served on warm or cooled biscuit "shortcakes".

Serves at least 6

*If you want to go all fancy, you can mix a teaspoon of honey with a teaspoon of water, brush mixture on tops of biscuits before baking (or you can brush with a little milk and sprinkle with some sugar). Personally, we think there's already enough sweetness in this dessert before you get to that point....

**finishing options include topping with chopped pistachios, pecans or cashews, or drizzles of raspberry syrup. Again, fond though I am of nuts and syrup, I kind of like them plain.