June 21 was National Peaches and Cream Day. My way of thinking is that every day fresh peaches are available should be a celebration.
My favorite way to eat peaches is to just bite into a fresh, ripe one. It can be a challenge sometimes, to find such a peach. Farmers markets are good places to look, and once in a while, grocery stores have sweet, ripe peaches, but it is a hit or miss process.
Recently, I bought four peaches at the store just to try. They were delicious, so the next time I went shopping, I bought a lot more. They were terrible; not a hint of flavor or sweetness and crunchier than most apples.
I hope you are able to find a good source for some ripe, sweet peaches. If you can’t, canned peaches can work out quite well.
Peach ice cream
I am not sure why the instructions for this recipe were written the way they were, but it works.
- 1 1/2 pounds very ripe peaches
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- About 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 cups half-and-half
1. Peel peaches, then pit and slice them. In a food processor or blender, puree 2/3 of the peaches with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, vanilla and 1/3 cup sugar. Pour into a large bowl, add half-and-half, and nest bowl in ice water; stir often until cold, 10 to 15 minutes. Or cover and chill until cold, about 1 hour.
2. In a bowl, with a potato masher or fork, coarsely mash remaining peaches with 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar. Set container in ice water and stir often until cold, about 5 minutes. Add to half-and-half mixture; taste, and add more sugar if desired.
3. Pour chilled mixture into a 1-quart (or larger) ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions until mixture is firm enough to scoop, dasher is hard to turn, or machine stops.
4. Serve ice cream softly frozen, or package airtight and freeze up to 1 week; let stand at room temperature 10 to 20 minutes to soften for scooping. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Pastel de durazno
- 10 duraznos mad
- 1/2 taza de mitades de nuez o pacana (opcional; yo no las uso)
- 1/4 taza de azúcar blanca granulada
- 1/4 taza de azúcar moreno
- 1/2 cucharadita de canela
- 1/8 cucharadita de nuez moscada
- 1 cucharadita de jugo de limón recién exprimido
- 1 1/2 cucharadas de maicena
- Crema batida o helado de vainilla
Para el glaseado:
- 1 taza de harina
- 1/4 taza de azúcar blanca
- 1/4 taza de azúcar moreno
- 1 cucharadita de polvo de hornear
- 1/2 cucharadita de sal
- 8 cucharadas (1 barra) de mantequilla sin sal, fría y cortada en trozos pequeños
- 1/4 taza de agua hirviendo
- Azúcar con canela: 3 cucharadas de azúcar blanca y 2 cucharaditas de canela molida, combinadas
1. Precalienta el horno a 425 grados F (220 grados C). En un tazón grande, combina los duraznos, los frutos.
2. Prepara el ad.
3. Stir in the boiling water until just combined (do not over-mix). The crumbs will puff up into a thick doughy topping. Drop spoonfuls of topping over the baked peaches. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly over the top. Bake until topping is golden, about 15 minutes. Lift part of it to check underneath to make sure it is done.
4. Servir caliente recién salido del horno o a temperatura ambiente. Servir con crema batida o helado, si se desea.
Peaches and cream salad
- 1 box (5.1-oz.) instant vanilla pudding
- 1 container (32-oz.) vanilla yogurt
- 1 container (8-oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 6 large ripe peaches, peeled and chopped
1. In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix and vanilla yogurt, stirring until well mixed.
2. Fold whipped topping into the mixture.
3. Fold in the chopped peaches. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Makes about 10 servings.
Peaches and cream cheesecake bars
For bars:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tazas de azúcar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cucharadita de sal
- 1 can (21-oz.) peach pie filling
For cheesecake layer:
- 1 paquete (225 g) de queso crema, ablandado
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cucharadita de vainilla
- 1 huevo
For glaze:
- 1 taza de azúcar para repostería
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
1. For bars: Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Slowly add to the wet mixture until just combined.
4. Take half the batter and spread it into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Set aside.
5. For cheesecake layer: In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together. Add vanilla and egg and mix thoroughly.
6. Spread evenly over the batter, then spread peach pie filling over the cheesecake layer.
7. Drop remaining batter over pie filling. (It will spread as it bakes, so don’t worry if it doesn’t cover every bit of filling.)
8. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown. Cool completely.
9. For glaze: Once the baked mixture is completely cooled, mix together glaze ingredients and drizzle over the top. Cut into bars and serve. Makes 9 to 12 bars.