With the abundance of peaches this time of year, one must have a little Peach Crisp. I found this excellent recipe in my Cook's Illustrated Magazine.
Peach Crisp
FILLING:
6 or 7 peaches, peeled & pitted, each half cut into 3/4 inch wedges (about 6 1/2 cups prepared peaches)
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp cornstarch
3-5 tsp juice from 1 lemon (depending on the sweetness of the peaches)
Pinch salt
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
TOPPING:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
6 TBSP butter, cut into 6 pieces & very soft
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. FOR THE FILLING: Gently toss peaches and sugar together in large bowl; let stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times. Drain peaches in colander set over large bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup drained peach juice, cornstarch, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in small bowl. Discard excess peach juice. Toss juice mixture with peaches and transfer to 8" square baking dish.
3. FOR THE TOPPING: Combine flour, sugars (reserving 1 tablespoon sugar) and salt in work bowl of food processor. Drizzle vanilla over top. Pulse to combine mixture, about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and half of nuts; process until mixture clumps together in to large, crumbly balls, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle remaining nuts over mixture and combine with two quick pulses. Transfer mixture to parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into even layer (should break into roughly 1/2 inch chunks) Bake on middle rack until lightly browned and firm (18-22 minutes). This can be done ahead of time and stored in an airtight container.
4. TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Grasping edges of parchment paper, slide topping over peaches and spread into even layer with spatula, packing down lightly and breaking up any very large pieces. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon of sugar over top and place in oven on lower rack. Increase temperature to 375 degrees and bake until well browned and fruit is bubbling around edges, 25-35 minutes. Cool on wire rack until warm, at least 15 minutes; serve. (I like it with Vanilla Ice Cream!!)
5. ENJOY!!
{note: If you are looking for a fun food magazine, Cooks Illustrated or Cooks Country are great. They are free of any advertisements, so it makes it so easy to find what you want. Plus, it gives you more than just a recipe, it gives the reasoning behind almost every ingredient, and why make it how they make it. Another plus is that it rates different products in each issue.}
Next time I make Peach Crisp, I think I will try Pioneer Woman's recipe with Maple Glaze. It looks scrumptious!!
