Author Notes: I headed up to Ellsworth Hill Orchard in Litchfield, Connecticut this last week to do some summer fruit picking and came across these beautiful, juicy Flaming Fury peaches. I got completely carried away out in the orchard and was a bit obsessed with finding the perfect peach (to my husband’s dismay in the insanely sweaty heat). All I could think about was pairing sweet peaches with cardamom for a super easy summer dessert. Baking the peaches really brings out the sweetness, and cardamom, in place of traditional cinnamon, creates a delicious, crunchy streusel to layer on top. It does not get any easier than mixing a few ingredients in a bowl, spooning the crumbly mixture on top of halved peaches, and throwing it all in the oven. I serve this dish with whipped honey-vanilla cream, which balances out the residual tartness in the peaches. A lovely way to indulge in summer’s fruit. Enjoy!
—aliyaleekong
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
Baked Peaches & Cardamom Streusel:
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1/2
cup packed light brown sugar
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1/3
cup flour
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3/4
teaspoon ground cardamom
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1/2
teaspoon salt
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3
tablespoons butter, room temperature (but not completely soft) and cut into pieces
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4
peaches
Honey-Vanilla Cream
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1
cup heavy cream
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3
tablespoons honey
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½ vanilla bean, scraped OR 1 ½ tsps of vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- In a bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cardamom and salt. Cut in butter using your fingers or a pastry scraper until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Halve peaches on the vertical, remove pits, and scrape off any rough bits. I do this at the last second, so that the peaches don’t turn brown. Also, I leave the skin on as a preference – you can remove the skin if you like.
- Arrange peaches in a buttered baking dish. Top with streusel topping and bake for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool briefly.
- Whip the heavy cream by hand or by using a hand or stand mixture. Before it is fully whipped, add in the vanilla and honey, so that it becomes evenly distributed (but not over whipped!).
- Serve peaches warm with a side of the honey-vanilla cream.
/8a53dfab-1bec-4efc-b24b-c458fb6ee15a--Peaches_with_Cardamom_Streusel.jpg "Peaches with Cardamom Streusel & Honey-Vanilla Cream 2")
