Peach Crisp

It was my turn to make Monday night dessert for the family get together and I was thinking chocolate cake - the Texas sheet cake that's easy and very very good, especially made with Hershey's Special Dark cocoa. But then I was reading through my latest Whole Living magazine (one of the Martha Stewart mags) and there was a blurb that said "In August you should eat peaches whenever you can". I knew Irons Fruit Farm next door to me had peaches, so I thought, OK, something with peaches. First I thought peach cobbler, but as I checked through my various cookbooks, I came across a Peach Crisp recipe in The Pioneer Woman cookbook and it looked so good, I decided to try it. It was very good, and I only changed it a little! I added some ground almonds and ice cream. Here is my version of the recipe:

Peach Crisp

About 2 hours before you want to serve the crisp, begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

1 cup flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup slivered almonds, ground fine in a mini food processor

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

a little grated nutmeg

1 stick (1/4 cup) cold butter, cut in small pieces.

five or six large ripe peaches or more if they are small

2 tablespoons maple syrup - use the real thing or leave it out

1 tablespoon lemon juice

A squeeze bottle with a 1/4 cup of real maple syrup.

Mix the dry ingredients together and cut in the cold butter with a fork or pastry cutter until its looks like fine meal.

Peel and slice the peaches. Mix them with the lemon juice, then the maple syrup. Spray a baking dish (8" by 12") with cooking spray. Pour the peaches into the dish and spread them out evenly. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the top evenly. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake 15 minutes.  Uncover and bake at least 30 minutes longer up to 45 minutes until the crumb mixture browns nicely. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little. This should be about an hour before you want to serve the crisp.  Put a scoop of vanilla or butter pecan ice cream in a dish.  Add a generous scoop of the peach crisp. Drizzle a little real maple syrup over all. Yum!

I just had to share this picture. An orphaned zoo chimp baby was adopted by a mother dog who had just had pups.



A friend sent me a whole bunch of these pcitures. I'm sharing just a few. Here the pups and the chimp are having their dinner. I'm amazed!