Buttermilk Biscuits + Peach Butter

The dishwasher is broken. The piles of drying silverware on the counter are unsettling, and the dishes soaking in the sink make me shiver. I like neat counters, clean cooking spaces (my mother might disagree, seeing as she sometimes refers to me as "The White Tornado", due to my tendency to pile things on every open space). But I must bake. It is an insatiable urge that leaves me fidgety when unfulfilled. 

As I was cleaning out the freezer to make room for another Momofuku monstrosity (fear not, it will be posted soon), I discovered about four pounds of last season's peaches were no way going to fit back in the freezer. And as you may know, peaches do NOT go to waste under my watch. But what to make...

I'm not exactly sure how I settled on peach butter. Perhaps because it's quite portable, and I needed to show my new co-workers that I do indeed cook, I'm not just bluffing. In the process, I learned how to can things. And I didn't even give anyone botulism in the process! It's comforting I can now prepare food that will keep indefinitely. Y'know, to survive the oncoming zombie apocalypse. 

You need someone on which to spread all that delicious, peachy goodness. Buttermilk biscuits are a fine choice, and they come together pretty much instantly. 

Peach Butter 

adapted slightly from smitten kitchen 

4 lbs peaches

1 cup water (Note - since my peaches were frozen, they didn't need water....use your judgment)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup vanilla sugar (If you don't have this, no worries, just use more normal sugar)

a splash of amaretto

Before doing anything, decide if you're canning or not! Or you aren't, the peach butter will stay in the fridge for two weeks. If you are, it'll be good forever. 

Canning prep: First, sterilize your jars, either by boiling them in a large, deep pot of water (which should cover the jars completely) for 10 minutes or washing them in lots of hot soapy water, rinsing and drying the parts well and then place the jars only in a 200 degree oven for 20 minutes. Set them aside. 

If your peaches aren't already peeled, cut a small x in the bottom of each (unless they're already sliced) and dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Immediately transfer to cold water; the skins should slip right off. Place peach chunks and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until peaches are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. If you like your peach butter smooth (I do), puree them in a blender or food processor, then return to the pot. Add the sugar and amaretto and bring the mixture to a good strong simmer/gentle boil, cooking them at this level for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally in the beginning and more often near the end, as it thickens up and the fruit masses risk scorching on the bottom of the pot. 

There are several methods to test for doneness: You can drizzle a ribbon of sauce across the surface; when that ribbon holds its shape before dissolve into the pot, it is done. Some people use cold or frozen plates; dollop a spoonful in the middle of one and if no water forms a ring around it in a couple minutes, it is done. Others use a spoon; if the butter remains rounded on a spoon for two minutes, it is done. You can also check the pot itself; the butter is usually done when a wooden spoon leaves a clear train when scraped across the bottom.

If you aren't canning the peach butter, let it cool before storing it in the fridge. If you are...

Divide your piping hot peach butter between your jars, leaving a little room at the top. Wipe the rims clean with a dry towel and cover the jars with their lids. Submerge the jars in a large, deep pot of boiling water for 10 minutes, either in a removable basket or using tongs to dip and remove them. Let cool completely on towels, a process that can take overnight. If canned properly, the peach butter should last indefinitely at room temperature.

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder (use one without aluminum)
1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
1 cup buttermilk (approx)

Preheat your oven to 450°F.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.

Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal.

If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.

Add the buttermilk and mix just until combined.

If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk. It should be very wet.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board.

Gently pat (do not roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick.

Use a round cutter to cut into rounds. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet touching each other. Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom.

Vacation

Hello! I'm on vacation. Wanna see? Of course you do. 

Vacation tastes like melt in your mouth strawberries the size of your thumbnail. Of tart cherries and flaky whitefish. Of...Uncle Ben's rice pilaf? 

With a name like cupcake, you have to bake with it.

My family went to a fairly nice restaurant the other day. My dad, trying to watch his salt, inquired as to how salty the rice pilaf would be. 

"Well, it's Uncle Ben's," the waitress offered candidly. She also revealed the au gratin potatoes contained powdered cheese. My eyes widened, and as she left the table, we burst into a fit of giggles. The rest of the night was spent guessing where our various entrees had come from. Mashed potatoes? Definitely from a bag. A bacon topping was definitely of the precooked, microwave for 15 seconds a slice variety. Though the food definitely could have been better, we had a great time, and by the end of the night, were erupting in fits of laughter. And sometimes those are the best meals. 

I had a peanut butter pie for dessert that night, which was most definitely Sysco, or something of that sort. These cupcakes are totally homemade, as usual, and fancy to boot. I even used one of my precious peaches!

Peach Prosecco Cupcakes

adapted from Sing for Your Supper

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 egg whites
3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup prosecco (or any other sparkling wine, or even sparkling juice would be fine)
1 small peach, peeled and diced

(Mkay, here's a note. To peel a peach, make an X in the bottom of it, like this:

Then, place the peach in boiling water for around 40 seconds. Immediately plunge it into ice cold water. The skin should peel right off).

Prosecco Frosting

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup prosecco
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 drops red and yellow coloring, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a mixing bowl beat together butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, then beat in egg whites one at a time.

Add in flour mixture and prosecco in three alternating additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Gently stir in the diced peaches. Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

To make the frosting beat together the butter and vanilla. Add powdered sugar in one cup increments, then add prosecco, milk and food coloring. Frost cupcakes once they have completely cooled. Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

My love for peaches is like a bad simile...

Good Lord I love peaches. Almost no food makes me happier than a fresh peach. It's just so rare that you come across something so vibrant and delicious in its pure and natural form. 

For the past couple summers, we've been getting these 25 pound boxes of amazing, tree ripened peaches. They are never fail fantastic, and I can't really eat other peaches anymore. You see, if peaches are not ripened on a tree, they will likely become mealy, and mealy peaches are just terrible. So...I look forward to these all year.

That is my hand. Some people say I have man hands. Nicer people say I have piano fingers. 

Of course I don't want to waste the precious fruit. But sometimes you just have more than you can eat before they are in tip top shape anymore. That's the time to make peach crisp. There's really no need to do anything fancy. The best desserts let simple ingredients speak for themselves.

Yeah, that is whipped cream from a can. It's hard to be as classy as I am all the time. 

Peach Crisp

adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

• 12 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced (You can use less. It'll be smaller.)
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla. Or nothing. Like I said, let the fruit speak for itself)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter 

   

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and grease a 8x11ish inch (Or an 8x8 if you're using fewer peaches) square baking dish.

1. Place the peaches in the bottom of the baking dish, and sprinkle them with almond extract.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles crumbs.
3. Sprinkle the flour mixture in an even layer over the top of the peaches, and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, until the peaches are bubbling and the topping is browned.