By the basket? By the pound? When it comes to peaches in the fruit belt regions of Ontario like the Niagara Peninsula and the Lake Erie shores, you can indeed buy peaches by the pound, but at markets and in most local supermarket, peaches come by the basket, often crowding up over the top.
Roadside stands like this one on Lincoln Avenue in Grimsby, Ontario has a trusting policy. You pick up your fuit and/or vegetables and put your money in the box.
The baskets are the same for apples, pears and plums, and now mostly hold 2 L or 3 L. Gone are the hot August days when peach lovers lugged home bushels, pecks and more commonly 11 and 6 quart baskets to can, make jam, fruit chili sauce, chutneys and frozen peach slices. It seems that the peaches are now going home to be eaten - out of hand with a towel handy to catch the drips - or in family favourite pies, cobblers, compotes or simply and deliciously sliced over ice cream. A drizzle of honey optional.
There are two very important things to know about peaches. Number 1: Ripeness. A bit of a catch 22 situation as peaches are divine when tender, - "pinch-ripe" according to William Morris. I defy anyone to find "pinch-ripe" peaches in a supermarket. Orchardists know that for their peaches to make the journey to supermarket shelves, they have to be picked firm and slightly underripe. Sans fragrance. For peaches of this texture and with peachy aroma, a trip to a pick-your-own farm is in order. Or a few tricks up your sleeve to turn firm peaches into ones that "give" with the tenderest of pressure.
Number 2: Fuzz. Get over it. The peach's downy cover is one of its most alluring characteristic. Once a peach is washed, the fuzz flattens and shouldn't interefere with peach enjoyment. However, enough consumers are bothered by the fuzz that some growers buff off the fuzz - and as you can imagine, the peaches have to be very firm in order to withstand the buffing so chances are defuzzed peaches will be on the underripe side. Hence the need for ripening.
Buffin/defuzzing g brings out the colour of the skin.
Ripening Peaches
Set peaches out in a single layer on a tray - lined with a cloth if desired. Place the tray on the counter away from the sun and let the peaches soften and loose any green near the stem. This will take 2 to 3 days. Once peaches "give" to a slight pressure, eat them, use them for baking or if you have to, store in the fridge for a couple of days. The whole point of peaches, though, is to pick,peel and eat.
Peeling Peaches:
If peaches are properly ripe, all you need to do to peel them is to start at the stem end, and with a paring knife, get under an edge of the skin and pull it off. You will need about 6 pulls to completely disrobe the peach. If you are doing a vast number of peaches, it's faster to place the peaches in a pan, cover them with boiling water until skins are very loose, about 10 seconds, use a slotted spoon to remove them to a bowl of cold water and then to a tray to peel. If you are doing only about a dozen or so peaches, and your peaches are ripe, pulling off the skin is the way to go. If you have to peel a peach like an apple, it is underripe or an import - or both. And shouldn't cross your lips.
Schnitz Peach Pie
My mother, Olive Davis - and her sister Bessie Babb and Helen Harris, Perth County farm girls all, knew how to make pies. Over the spring, summer and fall a succession of "schnitz" pies came out of their ovens, starting with rhubarb, moving onto peaches and plums and finishing off with the fruit most people associate with a crumble topping and creamy filling, apples. Having to choose one fruit over the other or to pick which sister was the best pie maker would be just too stressful, each fruit is glorious in its own season, each baker talented. But since it's peach season, and I am my mother's daughter, here's the pie that said company-for-supper in my mother's August kitchen.
Single Crust Sour Cream Pastry (see below)
2/3 cup (150 mL) packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp (45 mL) all-purpose flour
Tiny pinch salt
2 tbsp (30 mL) cold butter, diced
6 large ripe peaches
2 tsp (10 mL) fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup (50 mL) whipping cream
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground cinnamon
. On a pastry cloth or flour-dusted work surface, roll pastry out to 11-inch (27 cm) circle. Do not trim edges. Roll up on rolling pin and unroll over deep 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Without stretching, ease pastry into pie shell. Using kitchen shears, trim edge to within 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) of rim of pie plate; fold overhang under pastry on rim. Flute pastry on the rim, or press gently with fork to create a pattern. Refrigerate this pie shell while making the filling.
. In a medium bowl, use fork to blend the sugar, flour and salt. Add the butter and cut in with fork to make a crumbly mixture. Spoon about a third of this crumble into pie shell.
. Peel, halve and pit peaches. Cut each half into 3 wedges. Arrange wedges on crumble in pie shell - concentric circles recommended. Drizzle with lemon juice.
. In measuring cup, whisk cream and egg yolk; pour over peaches. Sprinkle with remaining crumble mixture; dust with cinnamon.
. Bake in bottom third of 425°F (220°C) oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F (190°) and bake until pastry is golden brown underneath, peaches are tender and crumble is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes.
. Let cool on rack and serve within 4 hours. If you have any leftover, cover and refrigerate. But remember that pie from the fridge is never as good as fresh.
. Makes 8 servings.
Edythe Diebel, daughter of Helen Harris, cousin and excellent cook, cuts into her version of peach schnitz pie - note the thick slices of peaches.
Single Crust Sour Cream Pastry
1-1/4 cups (300 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/4 cup (50 mL) cold butter, cubed
1/4 cup (50 mL) cold lard, cubed (or butter, but lard gives the flakiest crust)
2 tbsp (30 mL) ice water (approx)
4 tsp (20 mL) sour cream
. In medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Sprinkle butter over flour mixture; cut in with pastry blender until mixture is crumbly with a few visible pieces of butter about the size of small peas.
. In measuring cup, whisk together the 2 tbsp (30 mL) water and sour cream; scrape over dry ingredients. With a fork, toss wet and dry together, adding a few drops ice water if necessary to moisten the dry ingredients. The dough will look ragged at this stage.
. Press dough into disk; wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 40 minutes. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let come to room temperature before rolling.)
. Makes enough for 1 single -crust 9-inch (23 cm) pie.
Peach Galette
Free-form pies are always the centre of attention. There's something about the edge of the pastry pulled up over the filling that gives the impression that skill is needed, when in fact, this method of holding in the fruit is something everyone can do. Ice cream with the pie is de rigueur.
2-1/2 cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
3/4 cup (175 mL) cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup (175 mL) ice water
Filling:
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour
7 cups (1.75 L) peeled thickly sliced ripe peaches, about 8
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1/4 cup (50 mL) crushed amaretti cookies or vanilla wafers
1 tbsp (15 mL) cold butter
Glaze and Topping:
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp (15 mL) water
2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar
3 tbsp (45 mL) apricot jam, heated and strained
. Have ready a piece of parchment paper 20- x 15-inch (50 x 38 cm). Set out a 12- to 14-inch (30 to 35 cm) pizza pan or large rimless baking sheet.
. Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt; using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is in large crumbs.
. Drizzle ice water over dry ingredients, tossing them together with a fork to create a ragged dough. Gather into a ball, then into a disk; wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Let soften slightly before rolling.)
Filling: In large bowl whisk together sugar and flour. Add peaches and lemon juice, turning them in bowl to coat evenly with sugar mixture; set aside.
. Sprinkle parchment paper with flour. Using floured rolling pin, roll out pastry on paper into a 17-inch (43 cm) circle, leaving edges ragged. As the pastry will extend over two sides of the paper, dust the counter with flour to keep the pastry from sticking. Slide paper onto pizza pan,
. Sprinkle pastry with cookie crumbs leaving 3-inch (7.5 cm) border uncovered. Spoon filling evenly over crumbs; dot with butter. Lift pastry up over filling to form 11-inch (27.5 cm) circle, letting pastry fall nautrually into folds around the edge and leaving center uncovered.
. Glaze: Beat yolk with water. Brush over exposed pastry. Sprinkle with sugar.
. Bake in bottom third of 425 °F (220°C) oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake until peaches are tender, filling is bubbling and crust is golden, about 50 minutes.
. Let cool on pan. Brush filling with jelly. (Make-ahead: Store at room temperature for up to 6 hours.)
. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
