Peach Butter

Mmmmmm.... soooooo glad I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen! This is what my stovetop was up to all night long.

Ingredients:
4 pounds peaches
1 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar
Juice of one lemon (or about 3 Tbsp lemon juice from the squeeze bottle)



Peel your peaches. You can just peel them with a knife, or you can cut a small "X" in the bottom of each peach, dip them into boiling water for about 30 seconds and then cold water for a minute and the peelings will come right off.

Halve your peaches and remove the pits, then cut each half into quarters. You should have 8 chunks from each peach. Place peach chunks and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until peaches are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. You can then puree the peaches in a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender.


Return the peaches to the large pot, add the sugar and lemon juice and bring the mixture to a good strong simmer/gentle boil, cooking them at this level for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally in the beginning and more often near the end, as it thickens up and the fruit masses risk scorching on the bottom of the pot. (It actually took mine almost 50 minutes and even then it really didn't thicken until after I had turned off the heat.)

Let peach butter cool.

If you’re not canning it, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. It should be good for at least two weeks. For example, I had just enough left over for my mom to snag some!

If you are going to can your peach butter:

First, sterilize your jars, either by boiling them in a large, deep pot of water (which should cover the jars completely) for 10 minutes or washing them in lots of hot soapy water, rinsing and drying the parts well and then place the jars only in a 200 degree oven for 20 minutes. Then, divide your hot piping hot peach butter between your jars, leaving a little room at the top. Wipe the rims clean with a dry towel and cover the jars with their lids. Submerge the jars in a large, deep pot of boiling water for 10 minutes, either in a removable basket or using tongs to dip and remove them. Let cool completely on towels, a process that can take overnight. If canned properly, the peach butter should last indefinitely at room temperature.



I was so fortunate. I cannot afford the "real" canning supplies. I had the jars and lids from my grandmother who did not have a use for them, a stockpot from my mom, and borrowed the canning basket from my friend Cindy. It turned out to be perfect and saved me a bunch of money. :)

This recipe is for my secret sister at church... but I still wanted to post it. Not sure if I can keep it a secret since I'm blogging about it though!!

Baked Peaches

From: Southern Living 1992 cookbook

Ingredients:
5-6 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
1/3 cup butter

Place peaches in a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish; set aside. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle flour mixture over peaches. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I halved the recipe.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up. Here's the deal - I don't like peaches. But in my opinion, you add enough brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to anything - it'll taste good! We get a lot of peaches in our food co-op boxes, and while I do give a lot of the peaches away to people who will eat them, I want to eat more fruits and veggies in my daily diet, which means finding recipes for foods I don't necessarily like to eat alone. I made mine in a loaf pan which was perfect for the amount of peaches I had leftover (3) and I ate the whole thing for breakfast even though I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a dessert. If you like peach crisps or peach cobblers you'll definitely like this easy recipe!

Baked Peaches

Ingredients:
5-6 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
1/3 cup butter

Place peaches in a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish; set aside. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle flour mixture over peaches. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Texas Peach Pie

From: This website

Ingredients:
Pie crust
1 cup or 2 sticks cold butter, cut into slices
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt (unless you used salted butter)
7-8 Tbsp ice cold water

In a food processor, pulse and cut butter into flour and salt until mixture makes small pea size crumbs. With the processor on, add ice cold water through the top until all the flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans the side of the bowl.

Gather pastry into a ball; shape into flattened round. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. When you’re ready to assemble the pie, then divide dough in half. Roll out each half onto a lightly floured surface to the size of your baking dish. Lay the pressed dough over the rolling pin to help pick up and move the dough to the buttered dish.

Texas peach filling:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6-8 cups fresh sliced peaches (about 7-10 peaches)
1 1/2 to 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp butter

Heat oven to 425. After slicing all those peaches, make sure there will be enough to fill the casserole dish before prepping the dish for baking. You may need extra peaches or you may have too many, it’s good to check before going further.

Mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir in the measured peaches and lemon juice.

Prepare bottom layer of pastry and lay into bottom of the buttered 13-inch by 9-inch casserole dish. Don’t worry about it being pretty, no one will notice the bottom. Pour peach mixture into pastry-lined dish. Dot with 3 tablespoons of butter.

Cover with top crust that has slits cut in it; seal and decorate to your fancy.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Allow to cool so the peach filling has time to solidify, otherwise it will run out and fall apart as you try to move it to your plate.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Instead of making pie crust, I used some in a box that I needed to get out of the pantry. I did use two pie crusts, one for the bottom and one for the top. Don't worry, it was still delicious.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing, except perhaps use a different fruit if peaches aren't in season anymore.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP! I felt like this is the closest thing to Mrs. Smith I have ever been. Next time I will make the pie crust because I don't have any more in the pantry. This pie was absolutely delicious, although it is definitely sweet! I can only eat one small medium piece at a time. P.S. This is delicious for breakfast.

Ingredients:
Pie crust
1 cup or 2 sticks cold butter, cut into slices
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt (unless you used salted butter)
7-8 Tbsp ice cold water

In a food processor, pulse and cut butter into flour and salt until mixture makes small pea size crumbs. With the processor on, add ice cold water through the top until all the flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans the side of the bowl.

Gather pastry into a ball; shape into flattened round. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. When you’re ready to assemble the pie, then divide dough in half. Roll out each half onto a lightly floured surface to the size of your baking dish. Lay the pressed dough over the rolling pin to help pick up and move the dough to the buttered dish.

Texas peach filling:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6-8 cups fresh sliced peaches (about 7-10 peaches)
1 1/2 to 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp butter

Heat oven to 425. After slicing all those peaches, make sure there will be enough to fill the casserole dish before prepping the dish for baking. You may need extra peaches or you may have too many, it’s good to check before going further.

Mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir in the measured peaches and lemon juice.

Prepare bottom layer of pastry and lay into bottom of the buttered 13-inch by 9-inch casserole dish. Don’t worry about it being pretty, no one will notice the bottom. Pour peach mixture into pastry-lined dish. Dot with 3 tablespoons of butter. Cover with top crust that has slits cut in it; seal and decorate to your fancy.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Allow to cool so the peach filling has time to solidify, otherwise it will run out and fall apart as you try to move it to your plate.