Brown Butter Peach Scones

Back to the peach scones which were put aside last week due to a precious peach memory.

 

No memories attached to this peach recipe since I've never made it before although the choice was easy when it came to baking something else peachy.  Scones and peaches are both high on my list of favourites definitely making this recipe worth trying.

 

I chose this particular recipe because of the extra step of browning the butter before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.  Brown butter in the recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Biscotti adds a deeper nutty flavor that can only happen by taking the time to transform butter into something a little more complex. I was interested to find out if this extra step would make a significant difference in this scone recipe.

 

Well I must say… everyone needs a little brown butter in their life! The wonderfully nutty butter flavor comes through in a most delicious way and compliments the peaches perfectly. 

 

The dough in this recipe is very soft and doesn’t require kneading resulting in a very tender, soft crumb.  The Turbinado sugar sprinkled on top of the scones had been mingling with a vanilla bean for a while making the sugar fragrantly vanilla.  The hint of vanilla from the sugar brings all the flavours together making it a truly enjoyable taste experience.

 

What will I do when peach season is over?

 

The Bartletts are coming… time for some great pear recipes!

Brown Butter Peach Scones

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups all- purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup peeled and diced peaches

2/3 cup buttermilk (see note below)

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Topping

1 tablespoon Turbinado sugar

1. Cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear then turns a deep brown, about 6 minutes.
2. Pour browned butter into a small glass container and chill in freezer until solid, about 1 1/2 hours. (Alternatively, brown the butter a day ahead and let it solidify in the refrigerator.)
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper.
4. In a large bowl wisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda salt and cinnamon.
5. Dice chilled butter into half inch pieces, sprinkle over flour mixture and use a pastry cutter to cut in evenly until mixture resembles coarse meal.
6. Wish together buttermilk, egg and vanilla extract in a small bowl, add to flour mixture and fold in just until moist.
7. Place diced peaches between layers of paper towels and press gently to remove excess moisture then fold gently into mixture.
8. Scrape dough out onto prepared baking sheet and with generously floured hands pat dough into an 8 inch circle.
9. Score into 12 wedges with floured scraper or knife and sprinkle top with turbinado sugar
10. Bake 20 minutes or until golden.
11. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet then carefully transfer onto wire rack to cool before slicing into wedges.
12. Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container up to one day and warmed up before serving. 

 

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

•No buttermilk on hand?  Add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to the bottom of measuring cup then add enough milk to measure 2/3 cups.
•Although Turbinado sugar adds elements of flavor and texture, it’s not an absolute necessity, add whatever sugar available.
•Dough is very soft and sticky, make sure hands are well floured.
•Most delicious served fresh from the oven but freeze very well. Warm up before serving.

 



 


 

Drunken Peaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              Summer peaches are still on my mind and I’m looking for different ways to incorporate this delightful fruit into as many recipes as I can before the season is over.

 

Versatility is one of their greatest attributes next to the delicious taste and wonderful texture of course.  The possibilities seem endless as they easily make their way into ice cream, baked goods, drinks, jam and so much more.

 

I was fully intending to post a recipe for Peach Scones this week but the peaches brought back memories that I had not thought of in a long while.

 

I remember a very simple peach preparation my parents enjoyed during the time of year when peaches were very much in abundance.  I don’t think I was able to fully appreciate then what I now consider a delightful, impromptu dessert at the end of the meal.  Only two ingredients required, a glass of homemade wine, usually red and a firm ripe peach. 

 

No special presentation, no complicated method or ingredients, no need for a fancy wine glass.  After dinner it was standard practice to enjoy some fruit as the finale to a good meal. 

My father would slice and place a peach into his glass, by no means a fancy glass, just the plain drinking glass used at dinner then drowned the peach slices with some of his homemade wine.  After a short wait allowing the peaches to soak in some of the wine he and my mother would enjoy the fruit of his labour.

 

Not being much of a wine drinker myself I was never interested in sampling it but remember being intrigued by the appearance of the beautiful peach slices submerged in the red wine.   Still not one who enjoys a glass of wine I decided to finally try this simple recipe…just ate the peaches though.

 

Food has a way of triggering life memories that would otherwise remain unvisited. The home I grew up in, the table where we shared dinner and events of the day and a time in our lives we thought would never end.

 

Drunken Peaches

1 to 2 ripe, firm peaches

enough favourite red wine to cover the peaches

1. Wash, slice and add peaches into a glass.
2. Pour wine over peaches to cover.
3. Let stand for a few minutes before enjoying.

 

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• Use home made wine to preserve the authenticity of this recipe however if none is available use a favourite red wine.
• White wine is perfectly acceptable to use. Why not?
• Make sure peaches are firm for best results.

 

 

Peach Ice Cream

The anticipation for seasonal Ontario peaches always brings sweet and juicy rewards.

We’ve already enjoyed peach pie and Sautéed Peaches this year and a promise to make Peach Ice Cream really wasn’t too difficult to keep.

Placing a scoop of homemade Peach Ice Cream on top of a layer of Sautéed Peaches made a double delicious treat . The lineup of empty dessert dishes was evidence that combining the two into one dessert was a total success.

This Peach Ice Cream recipe is delicious, creamy, not too sweet and extra special because it can only truly be enjoyed in the short, sweet time seasonal peaches are available.  Once the season is over, the patient anticipation for next year’s crop begins all over again.

There are a few more ways to enjoy peaches before the season is over.  Cinnamon, Basil Peach Bread and Peach Shortcake Muffins are among the more familiar recipes. A few new recipes will be transferred out of my “recipes to try out file” should they pass the test.

I’ve heard that someone has come across the recipe for a mean Peach Cobbler…wonder if she will share the recipe with me!

Peach Ice Cream

1 ½ cups heavy cream (35% whipping cream)

1/3 cup sugar

2 large sweet peaches, peeled and pitted

¼ cup peach nectar

¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Heat the cream in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the edge. (Do not let the cream boil.)
2. Remove from heat and add the sugar stirring until it dissolves completely.  Cool to room temperature.
3. Cut peeled and pitted peaches into pieces and place into blender, add the peach nectar.
4. Blend until the peaches are pureed.
5. Stir the peach puree and vanilla into the cooled cream and refrigerate until cool or overnight.
6. Freeze in ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.
7. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze at least 2 hours before eating.  May be stored in freezer for a couple of weeks.
8. Remove from freezer and allow to soften a little before scooping ice cream out.

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• Make sure peaches are ripe, juicy and sweet for this recipe.
• Bottles of Peach Nectar are readily available in most grocery stores.

Watermelon Sorbet

A request for Watermelon Sorbet last week made it possible to experience a refreshing treat that I may have otherwise missed.

It’s always amusing to watch people testing watermelons to determine which one is best to take home.  Everything from giving it a few raps with the knuckles to rolling it on the floor seem to be just a few ways to succeed in choosing the perfect one.

There was a time when the thought of buying a whole watermelon truly intimidated me. 

After getting married and taking on the responsibility of grocery shopping I lacked the confidence to buy this very large fruit.  When I think about it now, my fears were totally unfounded and rather silly. I eventually learned that my guess was as good as the next person's when figuring out which watermelon in the bin was the better one.  

 

Since overcoming my fears a wonderful watermelon goes into in my grocery cart each week from the beginning of the season to the end of summer.  When making a choice on which one to take home I first check the outer appearance for bumps, bruises or any other obvious trauma the melon may have endured since leaving the field.

If the watermelon passes the initial test I check for the weight as I lift it up.  If it feels heavy for its size that's the one that's coming home with me.  The rest is basically left to chance, one worth taking though!

 

Watermelon Sorbet is super easy to make and the required ingredients couldn’t be more simple or inexpensive.

It's hard to imagine a more perfect fruit to enjoy in its purest form although Watermelon Sorbet has a way of taking this  amazing fruit to another level! 

Watermelon Sorbet

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

3 cups chopped watermelon

1. Stir together sugar, water and lemon juice and cook until sugar dissolves.
2. Remove from heat, cool down then chill in refrigerator.
3. Puree watermelon chunks in a blender or food processor then stir in chilled syrup.
4. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
5. Pack into an airtight container and store in the freezer.
6. Makes about 4 cups sorbet.

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• Before serving remove from freezer and allow to soften a little before scooping out.
• For more cool treats see Vanilla Ice Cream, Coffee Ice Cream, Biscuit Tortoni, Raspberry Semifreddo and Lemon Ice Cream previously posted.

 

 

 

Nectarine Strawberry Popsicles

I found myself with a surplus of fragrant, ripe nectarines this past week. Placing them in a basket made a wonderful display on the kitchen counter.

Though beautiful to look at I knew that it was only a matter of  time before I should decide exactly what to do with them.

 

When the sweet aroma of the fruit had filled the room I knew my time was up and these nectarines were definitely calling for some attention.

An overabundance of any particular ingredient inspires my search for a new recipe to experiment with and hopefully enjoy in the end.

 

Soon a lineup of jars filled with nectarine jam were cooling off on the kitchen counter.  This took care of eleven of the fifteen nectarines…and then there were four.  I have never made jam from this fruit before but didn’t count it as a new recipe because of its similarity to the peach jam I’ve made countless times.

 

A recipe for Nectarine Strawberry Popsicles which had caught my interest a few weeks prior came to mind.  At the time there was no immediate interest to try it out and went straight into that famous recipes to try out file.

 

Hoping to have enough nectarines left over from jam making I went looking for the recipe to try it out.  It was meant to be; exactly four nectarines were required along with strawberries which are practically a staple in my fridge.

 

So super easy to make with so few ingredients. In just a few minutes the nectarine, strawberry mixture filled the molds and went straight into the freezer for several hours.

 

Well worth the wait, an absolutely refreshing and delicious new recipe! 

 

Nectarine Strawberry Popsicles

1 pint (2 cups strawberries, hulled)

4 nectarines ( 1 to 1 ½ pounds total) peeled, pitted and cut into chunks.

½ cup granulated sugar. 

1. In a blender, puree strawberries, nectarines and sugar until smooth.
2. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
3. Pour mixture into pop molds, insert sticks and freeze at least 4 hours.
4. Makes 6 to 8 pops depending on size of  molds.

Notes, Tips and Suggestions

• To insert wooden sticks instead of the plastic ones that come with the molds place two strips of tape over filled molds and insert the sticks in between the tape strips.until mixture hardens.  Sticks can also be inserted when mixture is partially frozen instead and will not sink. (this method requires a lot of checking to see if mixture is firm enough but not too hard to insert sticks)
• These are too easy to make to be so good!