Peach Crisp

      Now, for some things, you will notice, I will use a recipe, and sometimes I will not, it really depends on what exactly I am making. Most often I will use a combination of recipes to tailor the dish to the ingredients I have on hand. Today's recipe is one of those just-whipped-it-together types.

     We had some very soft, but delicious, peaches (thanks Matt & Caitlin) in the fridge from the weekend, and so I decided to make a Peach Crisp.

My Le Creuset

        First, I started with my Le Creuset (One of the best kitchen gifts we've ever received). Check out their website here: http://www.lecreuset.ca/. I will have plenty more recipes using this awesome bakeware. You don't really need to grease it, but I like butter so I spread some butter along the bottom and up the walls to ensure that my peaches didn't burn.

Blanched and cut peaches

        Next I blanched the peaches for 30 seconds or so in boiling water to remove the skins. I read, after I finished this task, that if you score the skin with an X it makes it easier to peel. After blanching and peeling I cut each peach into chucks and slices. I just did a rough cutting. I find it nice when you have some thicker, firmer chunks along with soft chunks as it gives it more of a homestyle feel/taste.

        Then I added about 2 tablespoons of sugar and flour, and a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon. You don't need to use much sugar as peaches themselves have a great deal of natural sugars. I mixed that all together and dumped it into the Le Creuset spreading it out so it covered the bottom evenly.

Ready to pop in the oven

     Next, in a separate bowl, I mixed together about 1 cup of quick oats, some sugar, a little more flour and some butter. I used my hands and mixed it so it was a nice crumble, fairly dry. Then, I sprinkled it on top of my peach mixture. Now, my one complaint is that it wasn't enough like my mother's apple crisp topping, which has more butter, sugar and flour, so I wish I would have used that instead. Look around online and find a topping you like, or use one you already have.

       Now that you've got everything assembled, pop it in the oven at 400°F for about 30 minutes. Let it cool a bit before you scoop it out so that the flour can do its job as a binder. Serve with ice cream (recipe to come soon) or whipped cream garnished with fresh peaches and mint.

                                                                                   Enjoy!
                                                                                        Mel