If anyone can tell me the trick to pitting a firm peach, I’m all ears.
So far, my strategy includes cutting numerous slits down the sides, grunting and murmuring regrets under my breath while trying to pull the first slice off, and I can tell you that it doesn’t work all that well.
Luckily, the recipe I tried this week included cutting the peaches into bite-sized pieces, so when some of mine ended up looking a bit rough, they still looked gorgeous in the finished dessert.
Joey and I decided to have a Christmas in July get together last weekend. The meal was loosely based around Christmas meals, with pulled pork on Hawaiian rolls, German potato salad, lots of other delicious dishes, and a yuletide-inspired dessert of a fresh ginger peach crisp.
I figured ginger was a good nod to the holidays, and with peaches coming into season, they were an homage to summer.
And, of course, we had to pair it with some great vanilla ice cream. I was able to pick up a couple pints from our local ice cream expert, Salted Creamery. You can find them online at saltedcreamery.com if you want to place an order or find a store where you can buy it. (That’s not a sponsored endorsement; I just really think they do excellent work.)
The recipe I tried this week comes from the blog “Nutmeg Nanny.” You can find the original post at https://www.nutmegnanny.com/ginger-peach-crisp/. I added extra spices and vanilla in my version.
Ginger Peach Crisp
Ingredients
Topping Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1/3 brown sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch of salt
Filling Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh peaches cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray an eight-by-eight-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the topping ingredients until everything is well incorporated. Set it aside.
- In another bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients, stirring to coat the peaches. Pour the filling into the prepared pan and then sprinkle the topping evenly over the peach mixture.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Serve warm for best results, along with your favorite vanilla ice cream, and refrigerate any leftovers.
The fresh ginger added great flavor to this crisp. It has a nice spiciness that is especially delicious with ice cream. I doubled the recipe for our group, and I didn’t end up with a lot of leftovers.
It also came together quickly. Or, I guess it would have if I knew how to pit a peach properly.
As they really come into season, I’ll have to pick out riper peaches, and if I can’t, I might also need somebody to recommend a good place for me to take up weightlifting.
This piece first appeared in print on Aug. 5, 2021.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
