MBP Photograhy
Blackberry-peach buckle
Everyone at the table will want a second (and third) slice of this fruit-covered dessert. You might want to make two.
Photo by Mark Boughton courtesy of Gibbs Smith
Serves 8–10
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cardamom
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup milk
2–3 peaches, sliced (peeled or unpeeled)
1 pint blackberries
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter until it is a pale yellow. Add sugar and continue beating until thoroughly mixed. Add egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and milk alternately until well mixed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread the peaches and blackberries evenly into a pretty design. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let cool completely in pan. Remove sides and dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve at room temperature.
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Tips and techniques
Frozen can be as good as fresh
If you want to enjoy the experience of biting into a “fresh” peach in the dead of winter, or want the flavor and consistency of fresh peaches in sweet or savory recipes year-round, frozen peaches are a fantastic option. When you thaw them, it’s just like biting into a fresh peach—they taste just like peaches picked off the tree. Here’s how to freeze them at home.
Line sheet pans (as many as you need to hold your peaches and will fit in your freezer) with parchment paper. Peel peaches (or not) and slice, quarter or halve. Sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Spread on sheet pans. Put in freezer and allow peaches to harden—at least 4 hours or more. Remove from freezer. Seal peaches in Ziploc or vacuum-sealed bags and return to freezer. If you use a Ziploc bag, the peaches should be consumed within one year. Peaches in vacuum-sealed bags can last up to three years.
For baking, do not thaw the peaches—use in the frozen state. To eat or use in cooked dishes, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Peeling made easy
It doesn’t surprise me that “Give peaches the slip” is one of my most popular how-to cooking videos. This time-saving trick takes all the hassle out of peeling ripe peaches for canning, cooking, eating and baking.
Bring a pot of water to a low boil. Use a knife to score (cut an “x”) into the bottom point of each peach, then place the peaches into the hot water for about one minute. Remove peaches from the water with a slotted spoon and place them into an ice bath. When the peaches are cool enough to handle, you’ll be able to slide the peels off with your fingers in a matter of seconds.
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Related story
Everything’s Just Peachy—Enjoy six delicious dessert recipes from Chef Belinda Smith-Sullivan’s first cookbook, Just Peachy.