By Sherrie Norris
Our fuzzy little juicy friends from “off the mountain” have been appearing at roadside stands now for the last week or so and we’re all excited about the peach – one of summer’s greatest gifts.
It’s good that we are not too far from the peach farms in North or South Carolina and Georgia, which are among the nation’s leading peach producers, and that we have local vendors who bring them in by the truck loads every week.
The ancient Chinese considered the peach as a symbol of long life and immortality. These “Persian apples” actually had their beginning in China, but were developed in Persia and went from there to Europe and then to America with the colonists. Aren’t we glad they made it here?
Just like other seasonal treats, however, freshly picked peaches aren’t around these mountains for very long, so we’ve got to get them while we can. Yum. Can’t wait!
Diabetic’s Peach Raisin Tart
1 cup raisins
1/3 cup Splenda or sweetener of choice
2 Tbsp. flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
1 bag (16-ounce) frozen, unsweetened peaches, thawed
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
Preheat oven to 425°. Combine raisins, Spenda, flour, cinnamon, and salt.
Combine peaches and lemon juice. Toss peaches with raisins/flour mixture.
Put peach mixture in middle of pie shell. Fold edges toward center of pie and crimp together.
Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake 20-25 minutes more until crust is golden brown.
Easy Peach Pie
8 oz. cream cheese
¾ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
¼ tsp. almond extract
¾ cup whipping cream, whipped
2 cups sliced peaches, drained
1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust
Combine first 3 ingredients. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped cream and
gently stir in peaches. Pour filling into graham cracker crust. Chill well.
Peach Bread
3 cups fresh peaches
6 Tbs. sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ cup sugar
½ cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup pecans; finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
Puree peaches with 6 Tbs. sugar. (should yield 2 ¼ cups) Combine the five following dry ingredients. Set aside. Combine 1½ c. sugar and shortening and cream together. Add eggs and mix. Add puree and dry ingredients. Mix until moist. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Spoon into two well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Cool in pan. Turn out on rack and cool completely.
Peach Dessert
1 cup coconut (flaked)
1 lg. can peaches
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
1 cup broken pecans
Put peaches with juice in large oblong cake pan. Sprinkle cake mix over top of peaches. Drizzle butter over cake mix. Sprinkle coconut and pecans on top of cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Easy Fried Peach Pies
2 pkgs. frozen peaches
1½ cups sugar
3 or 4 cans canned biscuits
Place peaches in large pot over low heat and thaw. Add sugar and cook until mixture thickens. Set aside to cool. Open a can of biscuits; on floured board roll each biscuit out into a circle. Place a spoonful of peaches on 1 side of biscuit; fold in half and crimp closed. In a large skillet with a small amount of cooking oil in it over medium heat, brown pies on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Great hot or cold.
Fresh Peach Lush
First Layer:
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup flour
½ cup butter, melted
Mix above ingredients and spread in 9 x 13 –inch pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool completely.
Second layer:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. cool whip
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Mix and spread over cooled crust.
Third layer:
3 cups sliced peaches
2 ½ Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. almond flavoring
Combine peaches, cornstarch and sugar. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until thick. Remove from heat and add flavoring. Cool completely and spread over second layer. Top dessert with additional whipped topping.
Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler
4 cups peeled and sliced peaches
½ cup butter
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup milk
Cook the peaches in sugar water. Melt the butter in a baking dish or pan while pre-heating the oven. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt with milk. Beat well. Pour the cooked and drained peaches into the buttered pan. Pour the batter over the hot peaches. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until top is lightly browned. Serve with vanilla ice cream for a delicious dessert.
Peaches and Cream Pie
¾ cup self-rising flour
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
3 Tbsp. butter
1 egg
½ cup milk or peach juice
1 large can peaches, drained (save juice)
Combine all ingredients except peaches. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into well-greased deep-dish pie plate. Pour drained peaches over mixture.
Topping:
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
½ cup sugar
3 Tbsp. peach juice
1 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
Mix cream cheese, sugar and peach juice. Pour over peaches. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
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Peach Bread Pudding
1 can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup milk
½ cup butter or margarine
Pinch of cinnamon
1 ½ cups Bisquick
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (15 ounce) can peaches
Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter, set aside.
Drain peaches; reserve juice. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Place drained peaches in pan. Pour can of sweetened condensed milk over peaches. Combine baking mix, cinnamon, vanilla extract, milk and saved juice in a bowl. Pour over peaches and condensed milk. Add melted butter. Stir only three times. Bake for 15 minutes and score with knife or fork; continue baking for a total of 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.