Peach-Almond Upside-Down Cake

The epitome of summertime deliciousness!

Brad recently surprised me with a subscription to Food Network Magazine, and I love it.  In their July/August 2012 issue, they featured a Farmers' Market Menu, which starred this Peach-Almond Upside-Down Cake as dessert.  All of the juicy, marvelous peaches at the farmers' market lately has had me dreaming of peachy flavored goodness, so when I saw this recipe I made a mental note to try it.

That opportunity came about a week later when Brad's parent's invited us over for a steak dinner.  Oh boy, does Brad's dad know how to make an awesome steak!  We never EVER turn down dinner at their house.  I had the baking bug that day, and the peaches were calling my name.  So, I got to work making this cake to take to dinner for everyone to enjoy.

Oh.my.gosh.  

This.cake.was.divine.

In fact, my father-in-law declared that this cake was one of his favorite desserts that I've EVER made...ever!

The cake itself is incredibly tender and moist.  Plus, yummy little pieces of almond bits add such an incredible taste and texture, making this cake one you won't soon forget.

On top of all that goodness, lies a layer of caramelized sweetness, with beautiful peach slices arranged in pretty circles.  This dessert is the absolute epitome of summertime deliciousness. 

Bon Appetit, my friends!  :)

Yes, Please!!!

Peach-Almond Upside-Down Cake

Adapted from:  Food Network magazine, July/August 2012

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 medium fresh peaches, pitted and cut into 6 wedges each
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon butter pecan or almond flavored extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch-round cake pan. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp water and then add 3/4 cup sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until smooth and deep golden brown, 8 to 11 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and tilt to coat the bottom. Arrange the peach wedges snugly in the bottom of the pan in a single layer, cutting to fit if needed. 

(My Notes about the first step:  When caramelizing the sugar mixture, stir occasionally, as the recipe states.  After about 7 minutes, keep an even closer eye on the mixture.  As soon as it turns a golden brown color and is a smooth consistency, remove it from the heat and pour into the cake pan.  The mixture will burn quickly if not careful.  During the caramelization process, the sugar mixture tends to start off pretty wet but then becomes dry right before it starts to change color.  Don't be alarmed if the mixture hardens in the bottom of the cake pan.  It will become gooey again during the baking process.)

Next, combine the flour, almonds, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are finely ground. 

Beat the remaining 7 tablespoons butter and 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk and beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat in each addition until just incorporated. 

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 30 minutes. Invert onto a plate and let cool completely. Serve with ice cream. 

Note:  This cake is best the same day it's baked, still a little warm from the oven.  Just be sure to let it cool for 30 minutes before inverting onto a plate.

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A Fabulous Blueberry Buckle

We just can't get enough blueberries around here lately!  We've bought huge buckets of them at the farmer's market the past two times we've been, so I've had to come up with different ways to use the perfect little berries full of blue summer deliciousness.

I know, I know...sounds like such a terrible predicament.  ;-)

I saw a photo of a Blueberry Buckle while perusing blueberry recipes, and it made me stop in my tracks.  It sounded like perfection - A rich, moist cake batter packed full of so many blueberries that there's probably more berry than actual cake, with a streusel topping made of cinnamon, butter and light brown sugar sprinkled over the top.  Oh MY goodness, folks.

Blueberry muffins are one of my weaknesses, and this cake is so much like a huge blueberry muffin in cake form.  It's quite wonderful!

After making this dessert, I got to wondering why it's called a "buckle." As it turns out, the cake batter rises up around the blueberries as it bakes, encasing the fruit in batter and causing the streusel topping to buckle, which creates a distinctive crinkly appearance.  Other people say that it's called a "buckle" because when you see it, your knees buckle because it looks so delicious!

Either way, this recipe is a definite keeper.  

Bon Appetit, and HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, my friends!  I hope your day today is filled with lots of great food, family, fun and fireworks! :)

Blueberry Buckle

Source:  Laura's Sweet Spot blog

Adapted from ”The New Best Recipe” By Cooks Illustrated

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

Streusel:
1/2 cup (2.5 oz) all purpose flour

1/3 cup packed (3/5 oz) light brown sugar

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened 

Cake:

1 1/2 cups (7.5 oz) all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

10 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup (4 2/3 oz) granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature

20 oz (4 cups) blueberries

Directions:
For the Streusel:
Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt on low speed until well combined and no large brown sugar clumps remain, about 45 seconds. Add butter; beat on low speed until mixture resembles wet sand and no large butter pieces remain, about 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer to bowl; set aside.

For the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease and flour a 9″ round cake pan.

Whisk flour and baking powder together in bowl; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter, sugar, salt, and zest on med-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds. With mixer on medium speed, add eggs 1 at a time; beat until partially incorporated, scrape down bowl, and continue to beat until fully incorporated (mixture will appear broken). With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture; beat until flour is almost fully incorporated, about 20 seconds. Stir batter with rubber spatula, scraping bowl, until no flour pockets remain and batter is homogeneous; batter will be very heavy and thick. Gently fold in blueberries until evenly distributed.

Transfer batter to pan. Spread batter evenly to pan edges and smooth surface. Squeeze portion of streusel in hand to form large cohesive clump; break up clump with fingers and sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Repeat with remaining streusel.

Bake until cake is deep golden brown and toothpick comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

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Buttermilk Peach Ice Cream with Cinnamon

Happiness comes in many forms.  Maybe its warm sun on your face and your toes in the sand, or maybe its sharing a laughter-filled conversation with your loved ones.  Maybe its the good news you've been waiting to hear.

It can be found in the smallest, simplest moments...like biting into a fresh peach that's so incredibly juicy that you have to strategically stand over the sink to eat it, while juice unavoidably runs down your arms.  And you know what?  That darn peach is so delicious that it's okay to get a little messy!

After all, it's the little moments that make life so fun.

This Buttermilk Peach Ice Cream certainly put a smile on my family's faces recently.  It's the height of peach season around here, and I couldn't help but want to break out the ice cream maker after buying these peachy beauties.  I started searching for recipe inspiration online, and I stumbled upon a recipe by one of my favorite fellow bloggers, Homesick Texan.

The ingredients intrigued me.   Buttermilk in ice cream?!?  Genius!  It sounded pretty incredible, so I got to work.  I love this recipe for its simplicity.  A lot of ice cream recipes are custard-based, which requires eggs and a lot of extra time standing over the stove.  This version comes together easily and tastes nothing short of heavenly!

The trick is allowing the peaches to macerate for a few hours along with the cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice.  This easy process really concentrates the flavors and takes it up a notch.

Plus, the buttermilk adds a great little twang to the ice cream, which is subtle yet perfect.

Bon Appetit, my friends!  Let's all find happiness in the little moments this summer...They're all around us!

Buttermilk Peach Ice Cream

Adapted from:  Homesick Texan

Ingredients:

2 cups cream
1 cup buttermilk
2 pounds (about 6) whole peaches, peeled and sliced (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions: 

Toss peeled and sliced peaches with sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Cover, refrigerate and let macerate at least for a couple of hours, preferably overnight or all day.

Puree half of the peaches in a blender, and then mix puree with cream, buttermilk and vanilla.  Next, roughly mash the remaining peaches with a potato masher and then add them to the cream mixture.

Freeze according to your ice-cream maker’s instructions.

 

Notes: 

To peel the peaches, place them into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, and then transfer them to a bowl filled with ice water to halt the cooking. The skin should rub right off after blanching. 

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Drool-Worthy Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Blueberries...

"How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways..."

So maybe Elizabeth Barrett Browning wasn't talking about blueberries when she wrote her famous poem, but she could have been.  Especially with fabulously sweet, perfectly round and beautifully blue little berries like these.

Every year, Brad and I look forward to the day when these huge buckets of blueberries are available at the farmer's market.  It's the best $20 you'll spend at the market...hands down.  Each year, we scoop up one of these buckets, and I get to work figuring out how to put them to good use.  And let me just tell you...The berries mysteriously  start disappearing handful by handful, thanks to my sneaky husband.  During blueberry season he can be found sneaking handfuls right and left, making a little game out of it.

Oh, that husband...  :)

One of our very favorite things to do on the weekend is indulge in Sunday morning pancakes.  The Sunday after our farmer's market trip, I whipped up these buttermilk pancakes and added a very generous cup of blueberries to the batter.  The results were nothing short of glorious.   Glorious, I tell you!

The buttermilk makes these pancakes extra fluffy and tender.  This weekend, pick up some berries from your local farmer's market and treat your family to these pancakes.  You'll be so glad that you did.

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Adapted from:  The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook by Julie Fisher Gunter

Yield:  18 (4-inch pancakes)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 heaping cup of fresh blueberries

Maple syrup

Directions:

Combine first 5 ingredients; stir well.

Combine eggs, buttermilk, and oil in a bowl;  add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Stir in blueberries.

For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle.  Cook pancakes until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked;  Turn and cook other side.  (Store unused batter in a tightly covered container in refrigerator up to 1 week.  If refrigerated batter is too thick, add milk or water to reach desired consistency.) 

Serve pancakes warm with butter and maple syrup.

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Cherry Tomato Salad with Buttermilk-Basil Dressing

Even though tomorrow is the first "official" day of summer, it sure has seemed like summer for weeks here in Alabama!  The highs have been in the 90s, and the days are filled with the hot, humid heat that the south is known for.  

But you know what?  All the humidity-filled bad hair days are totally worth it when you take a big bite of one of the first ripe, juicy tomatoes of the season.  Growing up, I wouldn't touch a tomato with a 10-foot pole.  I wouldn't even hear of having a tomato slice on my cheeseburger, and you could just forget about cherry tomatoes.  These days, I definitely appreciate the wonderfulness that is a summer tomato, though.  

I saw this particular recipe in the June 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine (by The Neelys), and the photo starting calling my name the second I turned the page.  There was a big bowl of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, tossed in a lovely dressing and topped with thin slices of basil.  In the words of Liz Lemon...

"I want to go to there!"

The following weekend, Brad and I visited the farmer's market and I found a beautiful selection of red and yellow cherry tomatoes that were perfect.  I scooped them up and added them to my stash, excited to try this recipe.

And I'm so glad that I did!  The buttermilk-basil dressing is to-die-for.  It's seriously like an explosion of summer in your mouth.  

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Cherry Tomato Salad with Buttermilk-Basil Dressing

Adapted from:  Food Network Magazine, June 2012, from The Neelys

Ingredients:
6 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved if large
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons finely chiffonade (thinly sliced) fresh basil leaves
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:

Add the cherry tomatoes to a large serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and toss.

In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, basil, shallots, and garlic. Season with pepper, to taste. Drizzle dressing over tomatoes and toss. Serve immediately. 

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Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream = Frozen Happiness

Oh, the joys of a big bowl of homemade ice cream on a hot summer day!  Is it possible to resist such a wonderful treat?  I think not!

Last year, Brad surprised me with a homemade ice cream maker, and I've had so much fun making the smile-inducing wonderfully delicious frozen goodness ever since.  A good recipe for classic vanilla ice cream is something that everyone should have in their ice cream repertoire.  You can add extra deliciousness like fresh peaches, blackberries or strawberries...or just about anything else your little heart desires.  The possibilities are endless. 

I made this particular batch to go atop Bubba's Peach Pie that I recently made.  They were a match made in heaven, of course.  This ice cream was also incredible served on top of a Blackberry Peach Cobbler that will be posted here on the blog soon.

So, go break out the ice cream maker and cool off with a bowl of frozen happiness.  With the first day of summer quickly approaching, there's no better time.  And...there's no better recipe to kick off the season than this one.

Bon Appetit, my friends!  :)

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Adapted from:  Gourmet magazine, September 1998

Ingredients:

2 vanilla beans

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

Directions:

With a knife halve vanilla beans lengthwise. Scrape seeds into a large heavy saucepan and stir in pods, cream, milk, and sugar. Bring mixture just to a boil, stirring occasionally, and remove pan from heat. 

In a large bowl lightly beat eggs. Add hot cream mixture to eggs in a slow stream, whisking, and pour into pan. Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a thermometer registers 170-180°F. (Do not let boil.) Pour custard through a sieve into a clean bowl and cool. Chill custard, its surface covered with wax paper, at least 3 hours, or until cold, and up to 1 day. 

Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker, in 2 batches if necessary. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. Ice cream may be made 1 week ahead.

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Bubba's Peach Cobbler Pie...Fit for a Wedding!

The best food has the ability to tell a story, bring people together, feed our souls, and maybe most importantly, it can be the source of memories that put a smile on our face for years and years.  Food that's accompanied by a cherished story or memory is the best kind, don't you think?  And this special recipe for a beloved peach pie is one such story.

The story begins with a friend of mine from high school - Jana.  Jana recently shared this family recipe with me, along with a story about her grandfather, Jim Champion (aka "Bubba").  At the peak of peach season every year, Bubba would travel to his mountain house near Helen, GA where he would make lots and lots of these peach pies.  He would then freeze the precious collection of delicious pies and save them to eat throughout the year, simply pulling them out of the freezer when their lucky friends or family would visit.  

This idea alone is enough to make me want to run out and buy a deep freezer to fill with pies!  :)

But the story doesn't stop there...This past weekend, Jana's brother got married and he wanted these peach pies instead of the traditional groom's cake.  So, Jana made peach pies for the wedding, using this recipe.  And don't you know it...They totally stole the spotlight from the bride's wedding cake!

I'm not surprised at all, because this is indeed no ordinary peach pie.  It's filled with plenty of love and fresh, glorious peaches.  The filling that's spread over the peaches almost gives the pie a cobbler feel.  It's hard to explain, but easy to fall in love with!

We topped it off with homemade vanilla bean ice cream (which will be posted soon!).  I also used one of my favorite homemade pie crust recipes, which is by Melissa d'Arabian and is posted below.  It was nothing short of perfect peachiness on a plate!  

Jana - Thank you so much for graciously sharing this family treasure of a recipe!  It quickly became a new favorite of mine, too.

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Yes, please!

Freshly sliced peaches added to the pie shell

Next, the filling is spread over the top

And a pretty lattice crust finishes it all off.

Bubba's Peach Pie

Source:  Jana's Grandfather - Jim Champion (aka "Bubba")

NOTE:  You can bake this pie and then freeze it for later enjoyment.  When ready to eat, simply let it thaw overnight in the fridge.

Ingredients:

2 unbaked pie crusts, store-bought or homemade (see recipe below)
2 -3 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced into wedges
1 cup sugar (or 3/4 cup if peaches are extra sweet)
1/3 cup butter or margarine 

1/3 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together sugar and butter until fluffy.   Next, add flour, egg and vanilla.  Mix together well.

Place 1 pie crust in the bottom of a greased pie plate, and arrange sliced peaches in the pie shell.  Spread the filling over peaches in an even layer.

Next, create a lattice crust on the top using the second pie crust.  Not sure how?  Here's a helpful link from Bonappetit.com:

How to Make a Lattice Crust

Place the pie plate on a large cookie sheet and place it on the middle rack in the preheated oven.  Bake at 300 for 1 hour.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!  

Basic Pie Crust:

Source: Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian

Yield: 2 (9-inch) pie crusts 

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (2 sticks), cubed and chilled
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Directions:

Put the butter, flour, and salt in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each spoonful of water. Keep adding water until the dough just begins to gather into larger clumps.

Transfer equal amounts of the dough into 2 resealable plastic bags and pat each into a disk. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove 1 of the disks from the bag to a flour coated surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Gently fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan, and refrigerate while you prepare the pie ingredients.

 

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