Peach crisp: A sweet summer dessert

There is nothing quite like biting into a fresh, local peach – a sure sign summer is here to stay. And the arrival of peach season also marks the arrival of my weakness (obsession) for peach-inspired desserts…like Chatelaine’s peach crisp, from the Summer’s Best cookbook.

This dessert is made with only five ingredients: fresh peaches, brown sugar, flour, butter and oats. Or six ingredients, if you top it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (HIGHLY recommended). I love that this recipe is fresh-fruit based and easy enough to whip together for a last minute BBQ invite – as long as you have a lot of peaches (10-12) on hand.

The only time consuming part was peeling the peaches. I followed the directions, putting a small, shallow ‘x’ in the bottom of each peach before putting them in boiling water briefly, followed by an ice-water bath. I expected the skins to fall off with a little pressure (isn’t that what’s supposed to happen?), but those puppies stayed put. So I used a paring knife to de-skin the peaches, and about 10 minutes later we were good to go.

Once the peaches were sliced and in the pan, the brown sugar, butter, flour, and oats are whirled in a food processor until crumbs form. You then sprinkle a little of the topping throughout the peaches, and pile the rest of the oat-sugar mixture on top. After baking for about 40 minutes, the crisp came out bubbly and just screaming for a scoop of ice cream.

As expected, it was delish. Mini sous chef had two helpings and chef in training ate it for breakfast the next day. The only alteration I would make the next time (as soon as I get my next basket of peaches) is to reduce the amount of sugar. It was a tad on the sweet side for us, but if you have a real sweet tooth, you’ll likely want to leave it as is.

Try this recipe: Peach crisp