Saturday, August 27, 2011

Peaches

Alright, I'm back and hopefully for good as this blog at the end of the day will end up being full of food and recipes either by request or things that I've found are just plain tasty.

It is no secret in my family that peaches are King of the Fruit. My uncle owns and operates an orchard in Cleveland, Alabama and I have to say they grow the best peaches around. Right now Big Red Peaches are the ripest for picking at The Hazelrig Orchard. This week in the Little house we have been slicing and freezing these amazingly juicy fruit along with cooking family favorite fried peach pies and trying a new recipe of peach pound cake.



Fried Pies or Hand Pies to me are one of the truly Southern desserts and how they are made by my mother tends to be a little different than most pies because we do not cook down the fruit of the peaches instead it's made of peach peels.

Fried Peach Pies
1 can of Grands Flaky Biscuits
Peels of 10 peaches
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Butter/oil

Directions: Takes the peach peels, sugar, and water and bring to a boil in a medium saucepan and good down until the peach peels start to breakdown and turn a light brown color, taste the syrup and make sure it is plenty sweet if not add more sugar. Open biscuit can and separate each biscuit into two biscuits and flatten out each piece and put on wax paper to wait for filling. Once the filling in ready spoon a heaping tablespoon into the flattened biscuit and fold over and seal with a fork. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and cover the bottom of pan with a small layer of oil/butter (Mama uses a little of each) and cook until golden brown about 2-3 minutes if the pan is hot enough. Make sure you stand over the pies because they will burn quick if you don't.

Makes 16 if none are burnt and all are edible (If you couldn't guess we really ended up with about 10 because of the burning situation haha)

Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or ice cream or in this case peach ice cream

Now onto the pound cake, the recipe was taken out of Johnnie Gabriel's first cookbook Cooking in the South. Johnnie has been famous around Marietta for years for her cakes, apparently my 2nd birthday cake from her bakery. She has since expanded her business into a restaurant and bakery and published two cookbooks. Mama and I love her! She is a truly Southern Lady and makes food that we would make and eat. Also you may have seen her on Paula Deen's show because they are first cousins and Johnnie is soon to have her own cooking show on Georgia Public Television. Anyways onto the recipe because it is just that good.

Johnnie Gabriel's Peach Pound Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) of room temperature butter
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 jumbo eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (we use White Lily)<-inserted in the cookbook by Johnnie again Southern
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup peach brandy--we had some peach schnapps leftover from another recipe--you can also use peach preserves or peach nectar from fresh or canned peaches
3 drops peach oil--this you could find at a specialty store but we just included 3 teaspoons of peach nectar(it's all about adding peach flavor)
1 cup chopped fresh, frozen and thawed or canned peaches

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 15-cup tube pan, tapping out excess flour (we used your basic bundt pan). In a large mixing bowl on medium to high speed, beat the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar at medium speed  and then turn to medium high beating until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition at medium speed

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add the vanilla to the milk. At a moderately slow speed add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in four increments, alternating with the milk mixture in three increments. Begin and end with dry ingredients. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as you are alternating dry and milk mixtures.You don't want to over beat so slow speed is sufficient.

Once combined stir in peach brandy and oil or whatever peach flavorings you are using. Pour half of batter into the prepared pan add cup of peaches in the middle of batter and cover with remaining batter.

Bake for 60-75 minutes or until a tester is inserted and comes out clean or with firm crumbs.

Peach Glaze
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup peach brandy--again you can add substitutes if you like
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup water
4 drops peach oil

Once the cake has been baking about 30 minutes prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan, stir together all ingredients. Bring the glaze to a boil, stirring to melt the sugar and butter.

Remove the cake from over when it's done and let cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, once cake is cool invert onto plate and cover with glaze.




Santa Fe Ranch Dip

I learned this recipe from my cousin Sherri and she got the recipe from her friend Monica and I have to say it is one of the easiest dips I have ever made and probably the most popular. I made it first for Easter as an appetizer and I saw 6 people devour half of it in 10 minutes and then attempt to lick the bowl. I then made it again for my cousins' graduation party and I was asked for the recipe about 10 times, so here it is.

Santa Fe Ranch Dip
2 blocks softened cream cheese (the softer the better)
1 pack ranch mix
1 4 oz can chopped black olives
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 11oz can Green Giant Chipotle Corn
1 cup shredded cheese 
2 T Texas Pete Hot Sauce

Directions: Combine all ingredients until well blended and serve with Frito Scoops. You can serve this hot or cold depending on what you prefer and your party prefers. It is great for tailgating and football parties or something kids can help with in the kitchen.