Peaches!
Peaches are one of the wonderful fresh stonefruits of summer. When fully ripe they are juicy, sweet, and very versatile to add to many different recipes.
Did you know that the western slope of Colorado has the ideal climate to grow peaches? Palisade, Colorado, has long sunny days and cool summer nights, which helps delicious fruity sugars develop and allows the peaches to grow extra large and sweet.
The western slope of Colorado not only produces fabulous peaches but also many other vegetables, and it is also the location of many vineyards that produce wine.
In 1882 a man named John Harlow, along with his wife, planted some of the area’s earliest peach trees. He spearheaded a canal project to divert water from the Colorado River and irrigate the Palisade region. By the beginning of the 20th century, more than twenty-five thousand pounds of peaches were being shipped from Palisade to regions across the country each year! Most of the Palisade peaches come into full ripe season between August and the end of September.
Fortunately for us, our daughter had a business trip to Palisade and came back with a box of 22 pounds of freshly-picked peaches for my husband and me. They were large and ripe and so delicious! We left them on the counter for a few days to allow the sugars to fully develop and then we refrigerated them. Besides eating them plain I knew I wanted to make many treats with them
Peach and Mixed Fruit Crostata
This recipe was developed by one of my favorite Italian cookbook authors, Domenica Marchetti of Domenica Cooks. Domenica also has a wonderful weekly newsletter called Buona Domenica. All of her recipes are authentic Italian cuisine and very delicious!
I followed Domenica's recipe except I also added some jarred jam to the peaches to add volume to my crostata. You can see the Cherry, Rasberry, and Blood Orange jam I used in the photo below--Costco sells it in a double jar in our area. I used a double-depth pie tart pan to accommodate the extra filling. You can do the same or stay with the original recipe to use in a regular tart pan, which I'll post below.
Domenica’s Pasta Frolla (Tender Crostata Pastry)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon or 1 small orange—or a little of both (about 1 tablespoon)
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons total) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and zest in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse briefly to combine. Distribute the butter around the bowl and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg and egg yolk and process until the dough begins to clump together.
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and gather it together into a ball. Form the dough into two disks, one slightly larger than the other. Wrap each disk tightly in reusable or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until well chilled (overnight is fine). Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before rolling it out
Domenica’s Peach Crostata
1-1/2 pounds ripe peaches, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch slices or 1 pound frozen sliced peaches (about 3-1/2 cups)
1 firmly packed cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 batch of Pasta Frolla, chilled and ready to roll out
Confectioners’ sugar, for serving
1. Make the filling: Put the peaches, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a medium heavy-duty saucepan. Cook over low heat to dissolve the sugar, for about 10 minutes. Raise the heat to medium and bring it to a boil. Cook, stirring often until the peaches are tender, and the liquid is thickened and syrupy about 10 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg, and simmer until thickened to a jam consistency, 5 to 10 minutes more. You should be able to drag a path through the bottom of the saucepan with a silicone spatula. Scrape the peaches into a heatproof bowl and let cool completely. (The preserves can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.)
2. Make and assemble the crostata: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Have ready a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
3. Lightly dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll the larger disk of pasta frolla into an 11-inch circle, lifting and turning the dough as you roll to prevent sticking and create an even round. Gently wrap the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it over the tart pan. Gently press the dough into the pan without stretching it. Use the palm of your hand or the rolling pin to trim off the excess. Refrigerate while you roll out the second piece of dough.
4. Roll the smaller piece into a 10-inch circle and use a fluted or smooth pastry wheel or a knife to cut it into strips from 1/2 inch to 1-inch wide. (For a more traditional effect, roll the strips into ropes; otherwise, leave them flat.) Remove the crostata base from the refrigerator. Spoon the cooled peach filling into the base and spread it out into an even layer. If the filling is syrupy, use a slotted spoon to separate the peaches and syrup, and reserve the leftover syrup for another use (it’s delicious spooned over yogurt or vanilla ice cream). Position the strips of pastry on top of the peaches in a crisscross lattice pattern. You can weave the strips if you like, but the dough is fragile and tends to tear so it’s not necessary (nor is it traditional). Press the edges of the strips into the edge of the tart shell to secure and trim off the excess.
5. Set the crostata on a baking sheet (I use an old pizza pan), and bake until the crust is golden-brown, 30 to 35 minutes and the filling is bubbling. Transfer from the baking sheet to a rack to cool completely. Remove the ring and use a large, wide-angled spatula to transfer the crostata from the metal tart base to a serving plate. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
The Pasta Friolla Crust is extra light and fragrant and the Peach Crostata filling is jammy and fruity and not overly sweet, with its hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. This is really a special treat!
Honey Peach and Blueberry Tart.
This is a very simple and easy tart to make when you have a lot of fruit.
For the crust:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
Filling:
2 cups unsweetened sliced peaches
1/2 cup Honey
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°.
In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar, and cinnamon; stir in butter just until blended. Press into a 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
Layer sliced peaches and blueberries as desired on top of the cooled tart crust Brush the top of the fruit with the honey.
Return the tart to the 350 oven and cook for around 30 minutes until the fruit is soft and the tart crust is golden.
Cool before serving. Nice served with ice cream or whip cream
We enjoyed this fruity tart for breakfast!
Buttermilk Peach Bread
I made two loves of Sue's wonderful Buttermilk Peach Bread from a recipe on her blog The View from Great Island. I froze one loaf for the future and the other we enjoyed at breakfast. It is a simple and delicious recipe that bakes up into a dense pound-like cake filled with peaches. It is perfect any time of the day! You can see Sue's recipe at this link.
Summer Peach and Tomato Salad
I made two of these salads as dinner one hot summer evening. On a bed of arugula I placed a large fresh sliced tomato from our garden along with a large sliced peach, two slices of thin cut Proscuitto cut into pieces, three ripe figs each cut in half, a few pickled jalapeno slices, and a half of a round of fresh burrata cheese, and drizzled it all with a Balsamic vinegar syrup. It was the perfect savory combination of sweet, salty, creamy, and spicy. It was so good with a side of crusty bread and a glass of wine.
We really enjoyed our delicious local
Palisade Peaches!
What local produce have you enjoyed this summer?
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