Perfect for Summer Sundays: Peach Crisp

But then we had a visitor from a far away land (L.A.), and I had the perfect excuse to finally make this cake. It was to act as phase II of our wine & cheese extravaganza Friday night.

I subbed in Gluten free flour, and it turned out to be delicious, if a bit crumbly. It may have been because I cooked it too long, but I'll try it again using regular AP flour and an 8 inch cake pan, as directed. I only have 9 inch pans. (Side note: I just re-read the comments section from Molly's original post, and it appears cocoa powder would have also been a good substitute.)

The weekend weather was lovely and we spent a good portion of Saturday on the beach and Sunday afternoon on the roof deck, sunning ourselves silly. (Yes, I wear sunscreen. Can't say the same for Hugh.*)

Sunday afternoon came upon us too fast, much like the end of this summer. T^2 had invited us over for ribs and I had some lovely fuzzy peaches sitting on the counter getting soft, so I started slicing, peeling, and chopping.

Don't peach pits seem rather like organs? I think they're lovely, but they also creep me out a bit. Perhaps it's just because I've been reading this book.

Anyway, I adapted a recipe from 101 cookbooks for a peach and plum crisp, and it was a hit indeed. We stopped on the way at Cafe Arpeggio to pick up some homemade vanilla ice cream (consider yourselves warned, they overstuff the pint containers!) and it was a very nice end to the evening. This topping is quite chewy, like an oatmeal cookie, which I liked a lot. If you're looking for a crispier, more traditional topping you might want to up the butter and use less yogurt.

Peach Crisp
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

2 lbs ripe peaches (about six)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch

3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and pit the peaches, and cut them into bite sized pieces. I cut them into wedges first since it was easier to peel. Mix together 1/4 cup brown sugar and the cornstarch in a bowl, add the peaches, and give it a stir to make sure all the fruit is coated and the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed in. Pour this into an 8x8 baking dish.

In another bowl, mix the oats, flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and yogurt and stir to combine. Top the fruit with the oat mixture. Bake for 25 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*Hugh is not my roommate's real name.