Baking with Peaches (A tart and a cake)

 

Friends brought us peaches last week that they picked at a local farm. I ended up making two different desserts (not at the same time). The first is a peach tart that I made from combining two recipes (the dough comes from an Ina Garten recipe and I had some already frozen). 

Rustic Peach Tart

For the pastry:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup ice water

Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches in a circular fashion. Place the dough on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and refrigerate while you prepare the peaches.

For the filling:

1.5 cups peeled and sliced peaches 

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toss all the ingredients together, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble.

Assembly:

Spoon the peaches in the center of the dough leaving about 3 inches of the outer perimeter bare. 

Fold the edges over the filling (it is okay to overlap). Press the edges to seal. Brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  Refrigerate 10-15 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

The next recipe is Peach Cake and this comes from a popular cookbook that appeared in the early 1980s and one that I have never used, until now. I didn't even own a copy of "The Silver Palate Cookbook" until a few years ago and it sat on my shelf un-used although I have looked at it frequently. I suppose good things comes to those who wait because I loved this recipe and it is so easy.

My copy appears well-used but it was purchased second-hand

Peach Cake 

(from The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins, c1979)

Cake:

4 tablespoons sweet butter

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

3 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease well a heavy 9-inch skillet (I used a cast iron skillet)

2. Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in the egg.

3. Sift dry ingredients together. Beat half into creamed mixture; beat in half of the milk. Repeat, beating well.

4. Pour batter into prepared skillet. Arrange peach slices on top of batter. Bake for 25 minutes.

Topping:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

4 tablespoons sweet butter

1. Meanwhile, cut ingredients for topping together in a small bowl with a fork. After cake has baked for 25 minutes, open oven and quickly crumble topping over peaches. (Note: For me, this mixture was not crumbly. I spooned dollops onto the top and gently spread it with a spoon).

2. Close oven and bake for another 8 minutes or until the cake is firm and has pulled away from the edges of the skillet. Serve warm, accompanied by a pitcher of heavy cream. (Note: We ate it hours later without cream. It was still delicious). 

Just out of the oven - it can be a bit tricky gettting it out of a cast iron skillet. Be sure and grease the pan well. I used a generous amount of shortening.

• Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy