Just about every day I pass a small local farm* that sells peaches and sweet corn at the side of the road and I’ve been pulling in there quite a bit lately. If local peaches are ripe where you are too, here’s a recipe to enjoy on these hot summer nights. Or I guess any peach will do and you could probably eat this for breakfast like I have the past few mornings.
PEACH+RASPBERRY CRISP
12 medium firm peaches (it’s ok if they’re just-not-quite-ripe-yet)
6 oz. container raspberries
3/4 C. Sugar
1T. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 C. brown sugar
1 3/4 C. quick oats
1 2/3 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. chopped pecans
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/3 C. Earth Balance
[I know the first thing you are thinking is "Dannng that's a lot of veg butter." But remind and convince yourself that this is a dessert comprised of fruit and nuts to balance out those fats -- it's basically breakfast food! At least that's what I tell myself. But seriously go ahead and cut back on the Earth Balance at your own peril, just know that the crisp might not be as crispy and crunchy.]
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Blanch the peaches for about 45-60 sec. to aid in peeling. Take peeled peaches and slice them straight into a 13×9 pan. Also dump in the raspberries and give it a quick, gentle mix to combine. Combine the dry ingredients from the first group, sugar through nutmeg, and then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Then sprinkle between 1/4 C. and 1/2 C. water over the fruit (use less water for ripe peaches).
Combine dry ingredients from second group, brown sugar through cinnamon, and then cut in the vegan butter. I let my Earth Balance come close to room temperature because I’m lazy. However you do it, if the topping is getting sort of clumpy, that’s a good sign. Dump over the top of the fruit and spread it out to make sure it is even. You should have a very full 13×9.
Bake 40-45 min. Remove from the oven and let it cool on the counter for a while. The first helpings while it is still hot will be semi-runny, but don’t worry, you’ll need the juice as it cools and comes together.
[As I said, I used firm peaches were "just-not-quite-ripe-yet." This helps in my opinion because the peaches behave a bit more like apples when they are more firm and it also adds a bit of tartness to balance out the sweet crisp topping. However, if you are using riper, softer peaches there are a few small tweaks that might be necessary. First, cut the peaches into larger chunks so they don't turn to mush. Also, depending on how sweet they are, you might want to cut the sugar down towards 1/2 C and you'll want to add less water.]
Top with your favorite vegan ice cream and ENJOY!
*Stuff you probably didn’t care to know: Most people don’t think of peaches in relation to Michigan, but especially the southwest part of the state produces a lot peaches. Overall Michigan usually ranks 7th in the country in peach production behind the usual suspects (CA, GA, SC, etc.).
Mmmm, I have a basket of peaches just waiting to be used in this recipe…it looks so good!