The End... As We Know It

Fresh fruit season has come to an end. The peaches are all gone. The apple stand I pass going to work has been closed the past two days. Sigh. Deep, deep sigh. Oh well... it gives me a reason to start looking forward to next year.

While perusing my photos I found these. I hadn't realized I'd never posted this recipe. I adore this recipe. It is delicious over sweet shortcake biscuits for a summer brunch. It is also delicious over a decadent poundcake for dessert.

Warm Berries and Peaches Compote (adapted from Morning Food)
For the fruit mixture:
2 cups blueberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 small or 1 large peach, peeled, and cut into eighths
3 cups raspberries
1 tablespoons raspberry syrup
1 tablespoon water

To prepare the fruit: Combine the blueberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt in a non-aluminum saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, simmering until the mixture thickens and a sauce forms, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the peaches and cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat, and gently fold in the raspberries, raspberry syrup and water. Set aside.

Shortcake Biscuits
2 cups flour
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-teaspoon-sized pieces, and frozen
2 cups and 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To prepare the biscuits: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a food processor, place the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend briefly. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Pour mixture into a bowl, add 1 cup of the cream, and combine with a fork until moistened. Immediately turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead about 10 times. Small lumps of butter should be visible. Roll out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Keep dough in a square shape. Cut into 6 pieces and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Mix the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and brush on the tops of the biscuits. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Use the final 1 cup of whipping cream to whip up (along with some powdered sugar). Slice the biscuits in half, pour some fruit compote over bottom half, add a dollop on top of the fruit mixture. Place the other half of the biscuit on top and serve.

Or, if you prefer:

Pound Cake (from Sweet Melissa)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 C sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 3/4 C cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C heavy cream, at room temperature
6 Tbsp unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt until smooth. In a separate bowl, whick together the flour and baking owder. In a small bowl, stir together the vanilla and heavy cream. Melt the butter and let it sit to cool slightly.

Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and whisk together until mostly incorporated. Pour half of the cream mixture over and whish until mostly combined. Repeat with one-third more of the flour, followed bythe remaining half of the cream mixture and the remaining flour. Do not overmix! Pour the melted butter over the batter and fold in gently until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes befure removing the cake from the pan.

Oh the Joy of It

Oatmeal in the morning. No, seriously. Oatmeal. Yum. Autumn has arrived here on the mountain and the air is crisp. That means we need warm starts to the morning. This is one that will get you going.

There's a story behind this recipe. The first time I made it, I added bananas in it to kind of bind it all together. Bad idea. Very. Bad. Idea. So, since then, I have tweaked it and I like the result.

Almond Joy Oatmeal
2 C rolled oats (I don't have quick oats)
3 C milk
1 C water
scant 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 C sweetened coconut flakes
1/4 C almond slivers, toasted

4 tsp almond butter (optional)

In a medium size pan, heat the oats, milk, water, and salt over medium heat. Once the mixture begins to simmer, add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and sugar. Stir until incorporated. Pour into a serving bowl and top with the almond butter, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and slivered almonds.

Breakfast for Dinner

Sometimes I just can't come up with a good, quick idea for dinner. I was feeling in a bit of a lazy culinary mood. Chicken wasn't floating my boat. It was too late (and still too warm) for pot roast. The pork chops weren't defrosted. And pasta? Well, let's just say Mr. Doughboy isn't exactly a pasta afficionado like I am. I decided to have my favorite meal bail me out. In case you were wondering, my favorite meal is breakfast.

Since our kitchen is still blessed with the presence of fresh peaches, I decided peach pancakes were in order. Yum! I found this recipe on Hot off the Garlic Press. (Can I just say? That's a delicious site.) She cooked hers up as waffles -- a fabulous idea -- but I didn't have time, so I did pancakes. And since it is my belief there's no such thing as too many peaches, I decided to use a peach compote along with maple syrup.


These were a big hit. As Mr. Doughboy was biting into his stack, he had a bit of a time warp and began reminiscing about early fall mornings and the peaches his mom would serve for breakfast. This recipe definitely has his stamp of approval.

The pancakes cook up so beautifully with the pieces of peach in them. I'm including a close-up shot of an unadorned pancake so you can see those tempting peach pieces just calling your name. And if you aren't into lumpy, compote type toppings, try this with peach syrup. That would be divine, I'm sure.


Sour Cream Peach Hotcakes (from Hot Off the Garlic Press)
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
2 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Unsalted butter
2 peaches, peeled and diced, plus extra for serving
Maple syrup

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a few pieces of diced peaches on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with hot peach compote/syrup, butter and maple syrup.

Peach Compote
5 large peaches, peeled and sliced
1/3 C granulated sugar
1/3 C brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp butter
1 C water

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat. When peaches begin to release their juices, mash them into the sauce. Continue to cook until it begins to thicken.

Note: Mr. Doughboy used just the peach compote on his pancakes. I, however, drizzled just a bit of maple syrup on top of the pancakes as well. Oh baby! It was SO GOOD.

Telling Myself I'm On a Health Kick

It's still a dessert. It still has sugar and butter. But, hey, there are pieces of fresh fruit in there... and the topping tastes like granola. That counts for something, right?

Around here we love fruit cobblers and fruit crisps. Each year during peach season we help ourselves to lots of these warm desserts. I have a "go-to" recipe for peach crisp that we all enjoy. But today, I decided to try something a little different. You see, I had some Cinnamon Honey Butter still in the fridge and I wanted to use it up. So... I decided to use it instead of just regular butter when making the topping for the Peach Crisp. It definitely changed the flavor and the texture (what with the honey in it). I'm not sure Mr. Doughboy liked it. It's different and his first reaction to different is, well, doubtful. But, the more I ate it, the more I liked it.

Here are some of the differences I found: This topping comes off a bit chewy, like some honey granola bars. There isn't a lot of liquid in the fruit/sugar mixture, so the texture of the peaches is front and center along with the taste. The honey definitely makes it a different type of sweet. The pecans also give it a bit more flavor that what your brain is expecting. All in all, I like it. The granola taste gives it a breakfast-y kind of option, too. I had some this morning, at room temperature. It was yummy.

Granola Peach Crisp (enough to fill a 2-quart casserole dish)

For the filling:

4-5 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

2 Tbsp light brown sugar

For the topping:

1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/4 C light brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 C + 2 Tbsp oatmeal

1/4 C Cinnamon Honey Butter, cut into pieces

1/4 C pecan pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into baking dish and spread evenly.

In a medium bowl, combine all the topping ingredients EXCEPT the pecans. Use your hands to mix together, incorporating the butter until the topping mixture is a bit lumpy. Crumble topping over the fruit mixture. Sprinkle the top with pecan pieces.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. If you'd prefer, you can serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

You Knew It Was Coming...

We can't celebrate cinnamon without cinnamon rolls. Now, I realize some might consider what I'm about to say blasphemy... but hey, a girl's gotta speak her truth. I. Do. Not. Like Cinnabon. Rolls. They don't tempt me at the mall. They don't tempt me at the airport kiosks. They just don't do it for me. There, I said it.

Now, sit me in my Grandma's kitchen and plate me up one of her cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven and I'm in heaven. Well, I guess I'd have to be, since she's in heaven now. But luckily she left us her recipe. This basic sweet dough recipe can be used for cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, orange rolls, even dinner rolls. You name it. I was raised on it. I love it.












Grandma's Basic Sweet Dough
Combine together 1 C warm water, 2 tsp. sugar and 2 pkgs active dry yeast. Set aside.

2 C milk (warmed)
3/4 to 1 C sugar
1/2 C shortening or butter
4 eggs, well beaten
2 tsp salt
7-8 C all-purpose flour

Place shortening or butter and sugar in large mixing bowl. Pour heated milk over and stir to combine. (The warm milk will melt the shortening or butter.) Let cool. Add yeast mixture. Stir to combine and then let stand 5 minutes. Add eggs, salt and flour. (I add the first 4 cups of flour and incorporate it all together, then add the next 3 cups.) Beat well with beater or wooden spoon. This is a very sticky dough. Let dough proof for 1 1/2 hours in a warm place. Punch down and let raise 45 minutes more.

For cinnamon rolls, roll out into rectangle on flat surface. Spread softened butter on dough (I use Cinnamon Honey Butter, if I have some on hand.) Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on top of the buttered dough. Roll up dough until you have a nice tight "tube" of dough. Cut into 3/4 to 1-inch thick circles and place on pregreased baking sheet. Cook at 400 degrees F. for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle glaze over warm rolls.

Can also use this recipe for dinner rolls, tea rings, twists, orange rolls, etc.

Lemon-Filled Croissants

I love croissants! Love. Them. However, they are a lot of work. So, I don't love making them. But, I have been having a hankerin' for them for awhile now. Last Sunday we had family over. They were looking to escape the heat of their non-air conditioned apartment. Since it was such a scorcher, I made a very light lemon cheesecake. I used a few dollops of lemon pie filling on the top of each slice to intensify the flavor. Afterwards, I had over a half a can of pie filling left. So I decided to bake up these lovely little breakfast rolls to use up the pie filling. (Normally I would use a lemon curd with a deeper lemon flavor, but hey, waste not want not.)

This is a quick-version for croissants. You don't layer the butter or do three turns of the dough so the rolls aren't quite as flaky as full-blown croissants. In fact, since you incorporate the butter right into the dough, they are a bit more brioche-like. They are easy to put together and not too labor-intensive. I just mixed up the dough in the afternoon and let it sit overnight in the fridge. Rolled them up and baked them the next morning.

Lemon-Filled Croissants
1 C whole milk
1/4 C sugar
4 room temperature eggs, lightly beaten
4 C bread flour
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C lemon curd or pie filling
powdered sugar or icing

Heat milk in the microwave until lukewarm. Pour milk into large bowl and add sugar. Add 1 cup of the flour and, using the paddle attachment of your mixer, mix until smooth. Add eggs and mix completely. Add in yeast and 1 cup flour until well combined. Add in the salt and 1 1/2 C flour. Mix until the dough comes together.

Sprinkle a little flour on a flat surface. Turn dough out. Knead for about 3 minutes incorporating a little bit of the final 1/2 C flour at a time until it is all mixed in. The dough should be on the sticky side and will likely stick to your hands a little. Just add a little flour to your hands as you knead.

Place the dough back into the bowl. Add 1/4 of the softened butter and mix it into the dough with your hands. Once it is completely incorporated into the dough, add another 1/4 of the butter. Repeat this process until all the butter is mixed in. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours and up to overnight. You should place a plate or some other weighted object over the top of the bowl if the dough is going to be in the fridge longer than 4 hours.

Next morning, lightly sprinkle counter with flour. Divide dough into two portions. Roll out each portion into a circle 15 inches in diameter. Cut the the dough into eight pieces. (I use a pizza cutter.) Add a heaping tablespoon of lemon curd or pie filling to the widest end of the triangle. Starting from the wide end, roll each piece up and curve the ends to form a crescent shape. Pinch the ends closed so the filling doesn't seep out. Place rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough. Cover rolls with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes at room temperature.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. for 15-18 minutes. After baking, remove rolls to a wire rack and let cool. When cool, sprinkle powdered sugar over the tops or drizzle with icing.