Palisade Peach Crisp with Brown Butter and Pecans

It’s August, which means we’re smack dab in the middle of that magical summer window when we’re blessed with one of Colorado’s most extraordinary gifts: Palisade peaches. The time to enjoy them is now, and might I suggest my Palisade Peach Crisp with Brown Butter and Pecans as the perfect showcase?

Cultivated in the state’s warm, fertile Grand Valley on Colorado’s Western Slope, these vibrant orange peaches flourish in the region’s hot days and cool nighttime temperatures, growing big and luscious. They’re succulent, sweet, and chin-drippingly juicy.

Although Palisade peaches are distributed widely outside of Colorado, you obviously don’t have to use this particular variety. Any ripe, juicy in-season peach will do. But as a Coloradan, I’m severely biased. If you can get your hands on some Palisade peaches, please don’t hesitate.

This recipe features a “crisp”-style streusel topping, as opposed to a crumble (without oats) or a cobbler (with a sweet, biscuit-y topping). I’m partial to the chewiness of the oats mixed with the crunch of the nuts.

To amp up the crunchiness even more, I chose to replace a standard white or brown sugar with turbinado, a large-grain minimally-processed sugar that keeps its structure when cooked. It’s also sometimes called demerera sugar or raw sugar and can be found in most grocery stores (I buy the Sugar in the Raw brand).

Typically in a streusel topping, plain softened butter is incorporated to meld everything together and provide richness. But when I decided to add pecans, I couldn’t stop thinking about how brown butter, which has its own nutty flavor, would be the perfect complement. After I made some and added it to the streusel, I peered into the empty butter pan and impulsively tossed in the chopped pecans to soak up the last drops and crisp up a bit more. The result? It’s smack-you-in-the-face buttery, crunchy, and nutty. Really, really good.

While cinnamon adds warm depth that complements the crispy, nutty streusel, I wanted to let that swoony peach flavor really shine, so I added just a little lemon to bring out their bright flavor and sugar to enhance their sweetness.

Fruit crisps need a thickener to absorb liquid thrown off by the fruit and turn it into a velvety sauce. That thickener is often regular all-purpose flour, or sometimes tapioca or cornstarch. Those can taste pasty, however, so I prefer to use Wondra, an “instant” flour with a fine texture that’s been pre-cooked, eliminating that raw flavor. It’s genius for thickening sauces and gravies, so I thought it might work well here, and lo, it performed beautifully.

Peaches are delicate little beings, especially when exposed to heat, so slicing them thick is imperative to keep them from dissolving into a pasty mush. Half-inch slices keep their shape and texture nicely.

Crispy, creamy, nutty, and sweet:  the flavor is so intense that it doesn’t need any accompaniment, but people rarely complain about an added scoop of ice cream (I’m using this recipe as an excuse to experiment with new flavors of gelato). If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers – and the recipe doubles beautifully, just sayin’ – it also makes a great breakfast.

Prime peach season ends in early September, and I predict you’ll want to make this more than once. Farmer’s markets are overflowing with gorgeous specimens, so seize the moment and select a big, juicy bagful. Eat a couple raw to whet your appetite. Let the juice run down your chin. And then make dessert.

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Palisade Peach Crisp with Brown Butter and Pecans

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• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
• Yield: 6-8 servings 1x

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Description

A decadent way to highlight the season’s best fruit, this fresh dessert features a buttery, nutty crumble made extra crispy with crunchy turbinado sugar and toasted pecans.

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Ingredients

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FILLING
5 cups (about 6 medium) ripe peaches, sliced 1/2-inch thick
zest of one small lemon (about 1 tsp)
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup Wondra flour (can also use all-purpose or tapioca flour)

TOPPING
3 T unsalted butter
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats (not quick or instant)
1/2 cup turbinado sugar (also known as demerara, or Sugar in the Raw). If not available, use brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cinnamon

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2-quart 8×8 stoneware or glass baking dish.

Place the sliced peaches in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the sugar, salt, Wondra flour, lemon juice, and zest. Fold the mixture gently until the peaches are evenly coated and gooey-looking, and set aside.

Meanwhile, make the topping. In a small saucepan, melt 3 T butter over medium heat until the foam subsides and small brown particles begin to appear on the bottom of the pan. Watch carefully to make sure the butter doesn’t burn. Remove from heat, pour butter into a small bowl, and set aside.

Add pecans to the same pan and stir to coat nuts with the brown butter residue. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, about five more minutes, until nuts become crisp and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add oats, turbinado or brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and flour. Mix on low speed just until combined, then drizzle browned butter and continue to blend until the mixture is the texture of loose sand. Stir in toasted pecans.

Pour the peaches into the prepared pan and even out with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the peaches and slip into the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until filling is bubbly and topping is brown and crisp.

Cool slightly before serving with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream.

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Notes

… tips for picking ripe peaches:  look at the area where the stem emerges from the fruit. If the skin is shades of orange, yellow, or red, you’re good to go. If it’s got a green tinge, that means it was picked prior to optimal ripeness and may not be as sweet and juicy. A strong peachy scent is also a great indicator of ripeness.

… be sure to use regular old-fashioned oats, which maintain their hearty texture when cooked, unlike quick oats, which tend to break down and get mushy.

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