peach cornmeal pancakes

our local farmers' market opened on friday!  hooray for fresh fruits and veggies at great prices!

we stopped by the farmers' market on opening day, and we bought 5 huge zucchini, a bunch of green beans, and several peaches.

fresh summer peaches . . . need i say more?

there are so many recipes that we can make with these peaches, but we put them to good use on saturday morning in pancakes!

we peeled and diced the peaches and put them inside of cornmeal pancakes.  (remember when we made cornmeal waffles a few months ago?)

the fresh peaches got warm on the griddle, and they were absolutely delicious combined with the cornmeal.  we poured warm maple syrup over the top of the pancakes and they were so good!

peach cornmeal pancakes
prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 5 minutes
yields: 3 servings
adapted from myrecipes.com

ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
2 medium fresh peaches, peeled and diced

directions:
combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.  add in the milk and eggs and whisk until just combined.  stir in the melted butter.  heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan on medium heat.  pour 3 tablespoons of batter onto the griddle for medium pancakes.  drop a few diced pieces of peaches in each pancakes.  cook for 3 minutes, until small bubbles begin to form.  flip the pancakes when they start to bubble, then cook for 2-3 minutes, until they are golden brown and cooked throughout.  once cooked, transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200 degree F oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining pancake batter.  serve warm with warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

peaches and cream tart

on saturday, we got together with my parents and my grandfather for a lunch picnic on our back porch.  my grandfather lives in arizona, so we rarely get to see him.  however, for the past several weeks he has been on the east coast visiting his relatives in different states.  we were happy to be able to spend some time with him while he was here in pennsylvania.

after lunch, we enjoyed dessert on our back porch while sitting and talking.  it was so nice.

for dessert we made a peaches and cream tart.

in addition to graham crackers, there were toasted almonds in the tart crust.  the toasted almonds gave the crust a great depth of flavor.  the cream cheese filling was similar to a cheesecake.  the fresh peach slices on top tasted just like summer.  this tart was the perfect warm weather treat.

peaches and cream tart
prep time: 10-15 minutes
baking time: 25-30 minutes
yields: one 9-inch round tart
adapted from black dog food blog

crust ingredients:
1 sleeve (about 9-10 crackers) graham crackers
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons salted butter, melted

filling ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

topping ingredients:
2 ripe medium peaches
1 tablespoon peach preserves
1 teaspoon water

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

to make the crust, in the bowl of a food processor combine the graham crackers, toasted almonds, and sugar.  process until fine.  add the melted butter and pulse until all of the crumbs are evenly moistened.  press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom.  bake for 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

to make the filling, in a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, sour cream, egg, and sugar.  whisk together with an electric hand mixer until smooth.  pour the filling into the crust and bake for 15-20 minutes, until set.  place the tart on a wire cooling rack and allow the tart it to cool.

once the tart has cooled completely, peel the peaches and cut them into thin slices.  arrange the peach slices on top of the tart.  in a small saucepan, heat the peach preserves with the water over medium-low heat (about 1 minute).  brush the preserves over the peach slices for a glossy look.

enjoy!

love, laurie

peaches-and-cream baked french toast

we love fun breakfast recipes over at our house, and recently we created a new breakfast recipe which has now become one of our favorites . . . peaches-and-cream baked french toast.

a few weeks ago, ryan and i were talking about food (a pretty common occurrence at our house) and the topic of baked french toast came up in our conversation.  one thing lead to another, and we started constructing a recipe for baked french toast.  i'll give ryan credit for thinking of incorporating the peaches.  i'll take credit for thinking of incorporating the cream cheese.  thus, peaches and cream . . . i call that good team work.

this recipe kicks things up a notch on the french toast scale.  it is definitely not your grandmother's old-fashioned french toast.  instead, it's almost like a french toast bread pudding.  this dish can stand alone as a weekend morning breakfast, or it can serve as an awesome side dish for a brunch.  it would be perfect for special occasions too.

all of the work is done the night before, so when you wake up in the morning, all you have to do is preheat your oven and let it bake.  it doesn't get much better than that!  serve it at your next gathering, and you'll be a hit for sure!

ps: today i'm guest posting over on angie's blog "this crazy nest" and sharing this recipe.  be sure to check out my guest post here.

gather your ingredients

beat the cream cheese until smooth

mix in the sour cream, milk, brown sugar, and maple syrup

add the eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla

beat everything together until smooth

place 1 inch cubes of bread and the peach slices
in a buttered glass baking dish

pour the mixture over the bread cubes and the peach slices,
then cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight

the next morning, allow the dish to come to room temperature, then bake

allow the dish to sit for several minutes before cutting

serve hot with powdered sugar, maple syrup, whipped cream, and peaches

. . .

peaches-and-cream baked french toast
prep time: 10 minutes
resting time: approximately 8 hours
baking time: 60-65 minutes
yields: 8-10 servings

ingredients:
12 oz. french bread
16 oz. frozen peaches
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup light sour cream
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
10 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions:
cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and place the bread cubes in a buttered 9x13 inch glass baking dish.  evenly spread the peach slices on top of the bread cubes.  in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth with an electric hand mixer.  add the sour cream, milk, brown sugar, and maple syrup.  beat until all of the ingredients are incorporated and the sugar is dissolved.  add the eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla.  beat until smooth.  pour the mixture over the bread cubes and the peach slices.  cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

remove from the refrigerator and allow the dish to sit on the counter for 30 minutes to come to room temperature.  meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  bake covered for 30 minutes.  uncover and continue baking for an additional 30-35 minutes, or until there are no visible signs of liquid egg mixture.  remove from the oven.  allow the french toast to sit for several minutes to set up before cutting.

serve hot, dusted with powdered sugar.  garnish with maple syrup, whipped cream, and additional peach slices.

enjoy!

love, laurie