A taste of summer

July 22, 2009 | by Tricia | crisp, dessert | Share

What does summer taste like? I can not make up my mind because there are so many amazing flavors that culminate during the warmest months of the year. Whenever I’m asked about what foods I would take with me to a desert island to live off of for the rest of my life (you know the one, and usually there is a maximum of three, but I’ve pushed it to five) I respond with: heirloom tomatoes (in season), peaches/nectarines (also in season), fresh baked bread, cheese (a huge variety), and Thai food (all of it). I know it’s cheating a bit, but this is just how it would have to be! Especially the tomatoes and peaches being in season. One of the worst things that can happen is when you bite into a mealy peach or tomato. Yuck! It is sooo disappointing. Yet when you bite into a fresh and ready one, maybe even warmed by the sun, there is nothing on this earth like it.

Summer is a time when I try to take advantage of all this fresh produce. Not only do I store it away by freezing and canning, but also storing the memories of the warm sun, summer air, and fresh orchard aromas for those short, dark, rainy, winter days when it feels like summer never even happened!

One of my absolute favorite summer desserts–and it translates into autumn really well too–is the cobbler and/or crisp. Easy to make, and even easier to eat (a lot of), I love the simplicity of the flavors and how there are really only a few ingredients needed to make an incredible dish. When a dish or even an entire meal has only a few ingredients, I’d say five or six is enough, it tastes better. Not only because you know exactly what went into it, but the flavors still have a small life of their own, shining as their own subtle taste and creating a simple but beautiful chorus together in a meal. I love listening to Lynn Rosetto-Casper’s The Splendid Table, and something she talks about quite frequently is the simplicity in good foods. Her specialty is Italian food, which she revels in the fact that two, three, or four ingredients (very fresh and very good ingredients) are all one needs to make a fantastic dish. And I believe she is right! I try to follow this rule in my own kitchen when it comes to cooking; baking can be a bit different as there are more complicated pastries. However, I’ve been finding more and more simple dessert recipes (the Olive Oil Cake, for example, one bowl, 8 ingredients, not a ton for a cake:) and love them.

My latest go to for inspiration has been The Art of Simple Food, Alice Water’s new book. I’ve mentioned her before in my post about her Pots de Creme and I find myself continuously coming back to her simple and straightforward, but also technically complete style. What I mean by technically complete is that her experience with flavors and many years of cooking translates through her recipes, both in format and language. She even writes out her recipes in a way that you can read through it as you go along (although it is always a good idea to peruse a recipe in its entirety before you begin) and not miss a step. I opened the index and found a recipe for Peach Crisp.

And of course, her Peach Cobbler was amazing. With only six ingredients plus the fruit, I knew it would be a surefire win. And oh did it win…my heart that is. I used a mixture of white and yellow peaches, more yellows than whites (as I prefer them, they have more flavor I think). They are the first of the season and I can’t wait to get out and pick a few myself this year! Maybe next weekend .

Peach Crisp, Alice Waters

4 pounds ripe peaches
Dip the peaches in boiling water for 10-15 seconds, then slip off the skins. Cut the peaches in half, remove the pits, and cut into 1/3 inch thick slices. There should be about 7 cups fruit. Taste and toss with:
1 tablespoon sugar (only if needed, I didn’t need any this time around)
1 1/2 tablespoon flour
Pile the fruit into a 2-quart baking dish and top with:
3 cups Crisp Topping
Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 40-55 minutes (rotate once or twice while baking for even browning) or until the crisp topping are golden brown and the fruit is bubbling in the dish.

Crisp Topping
–Due to a nut allergy here in my household, I substituted the nuts with oats and it made for a great and hearty texture!–
Toast in a 375 degree F oven for 6 minutes:
2/3 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds) — to substitute with oats, use the same amount and you don’t have to toast them–
Put the chopped nuts or oats into a bowl and add:
1 1/4 cup flour
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix well, then add:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Work the butter into the mixture with your fingers. Work until the mixture comes together and has a crumbly, but not sandy, texture. Chill until ready to use. Crisp topping can be made ahead and refrigerated for a week or so, or frozen for 2 months.