peach puzzle
Author: 
Recipe type: dessert
 
Ingredients
  • Peaches and Syrup
  • 7 medium peaches, peeled*
  • ¾ cup packed brown sugar
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • Dough
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces and chilled
  • 6 tablespoons milk
Instructions
  1. For the peaches and syrup: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 6-ounce custard cup or ramekin upside down in the center of a 9-inch pie plate and arrange the peeled peaches (stem side up) around the custard cup. Combine the brown sugar, water, butter, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolve and the butter melts, about 5 minutes. Pour the syrup over the peaches.
  2. For the dough: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the flour mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal. Turn the mixture into a medium bowl. [To make the dough by hand (it's quiet, unless you grate your knuckles accidentally. Yeowch!): The original recipe recommends grating uncubed frozen butter on a box grater with the flour mixture, then rubbing flour-coated pieces between your fingers until the flour mixture turns pale yellow and coarse. I cubed my butter into very small cubes, then rubbed it with my fingers. A pastry blender works too.]
  3. Fold the milk into the flour mixture, pressing the mixture against the sides of the bowl to form the dough. Squeeze dough together and flatten into a disk. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 9-inch circle (I actually went 10-inches since my peaches were large.) Lay the dough directly over the peaches and press and fit the dough so that it fits snugly around the peaches. The dough will stretch as you fit it around the peaches, but do not attach the dough to the pie plate. Bake until the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. (If your peaches are on the larger side like mine, bake 30 minutes to ensure peaches are baked through.) Transfer the pie plate to a rack and let cool for 30 minutes.
  4. This is the fun part (and a little tricky): Place a large rimmed serving plate over the top of the pie plate and quickly invert (don't lose the syrup!) the puzzle into the plate. Cut into wedges around each peach and serve, pouring syrup over each portion. Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.**
  5. Serves 7. These wedges are also wonderful the morning after, warmed in the microwave, with cream or without, for a cozy breakfast.
Notes
I recommend firm, ripe Freestone peaches (or nectarines) for this recipe versus the Clingstone. Freestone peaches are exactly what the word describes: peaches that will release their grip from the pit cuddled inside. Since the pits remain in the peaches as they bake, your guests will have to remove the pits themselves. Better to have relaxed peaches than ones your guests fight with to release the peach flesh. * Eyeballing my peaches at the market, I thought they were "medium" sized. Apparently in California, our medium peaches are actually monster-sized peaches. Because of the snug fit into the 9-inch pie plate, I trimmed my peaches slightly so they'd fit. If your peaches are large, the crust will still blanket them nicely. Try to have a little space between each peach in the dish, so you can sling the crust in between the peach cleavage a bit, to form the boobs, I mean, bowls around the peaches. ** If you prepare this well before dessert-time and peaches have cooled considerably, there will be some peach shrinkage away from the biscuit.
Recipe by story of a kitchen at https://www.storyofakitchen.com/dessert-recipes/peach-puzzle/