Peach Cinnamon Vanilla Crumb Bars

Before I tell you more about these lovely crumb bars I wanted to let you know about a local Utah gal, Melissa Chappell who has made a real name for herself by teaching people how to eat fresh foods and understand the benefits.  Something I personally am trying to start learning more about.  This book is a great, useful resource for anyone out there who wants to know more about eating fresh.

The great thing is that she even has a book coming out really soon and trust me, you are going to want this book.  I went to a conference last summer and got to try some of her food and it was as fresh and delicious as you could ever hope for.

To help everyone out there to have a chance to get the book Melissa is having a pre-sale until this coming Friday, September 10th.

You can get the book through for only $12.95 (after pre-sale it is still only $15.95 so it is still totally affordable).

You can find out more about the book and Melissa on her blog.  Here is what Melissa had to say about the book:

This is a beautiful little cookbook full of fresh recipes that will please you and your family. It's got a beautiful glossy cover filled with photos and beautiful illustrations as well as several pages of facts about the nourishing foods included in the recipes. The paper is thick with a "raw" texture and the layout is extraordinary. You'll find six sections: light meals, desserts, salads, salsas, sauces and dips and smoothies, all fresh and delicious. My favorites are the famous Thai Nut Sauce, Lime Mousse, Winter Tomato Sauce, Raspberry Basil Smoothie, and the No Bake No Bake Chocolate Cookies and, well, I like all the recipes and I think you will, too.

I'll be at the American Fork Good Earth on September 18th from 11am-4pm to sign copies and give out free vanilla and chocolate covered macaroons! If you purchase a cookbook here (at the discounted presale price), you can pick it up that day or you may pay for shipping and we'll ship it to you. Just be sure to include your name and address.

Here is the link to Melissa's blog where you can buy the book!

Now, on to the Peach Cinnamon Vanilla Crumb Bars.

Peaches were plentiful at the Farmer's Market here this past week and for me that usually means making jam.  I bought enough peaches to make a small batch of jam, but then two out of three kiddos got sick and all my good intentions fell apart.  Jam isn't difficult or hard to make, but it does take some watching. By the time I had a chance to use these peaches I decided to take them in a different direction this time around.  I guess that means I'll just have to try to get some more peaches this week.

I was reminded when my feed email from Smitten Kitchen showed up in my inbox this week with Peach Shortbread that I had recently seen a version of the Blueberry Crumb Bars Deb posted a while back turned into a peach version over at Annie Eats.  I love me some peach cobbler and I really love crumb bars so I really wanted to try them out.  I think all these versions are quite probably completely fabulous, but since I can never leave well enough alone I knew I wanted to fiddle around with these recipes and came up with my own version.

So, to save time, I've added links to all the similar bars down below the recipe.  That way, you can decide what direction you want to go.  I would say that my version is closest to a cross between a couple of the recipes, but you'll just have take a look and decide what appeals to you.

I knew that I really wanted to incorporate two of my favorite flavors to pair with peaches - cinnamon and vanilla.  I also can't resist the warm sweetness of brown sugar.  The other change I wanted to make was to increase the amount of crust to filling ratio.  Now, it may be just me and my actual lack of love for too much baked fruits, but you could easily just increase your peaches a little bit and have a thicker fruit flavor.  The bars themselves ended up being just what I hoped for and all the flavors came through nicely.  It was like having a wonderful slice of peach cobbler or crumb topped peach pie that I could eat on the go - or even for breakfast.

Peach Vanilla Cinnamon Crumb Bars

For the peach vanilla cinnamon filling:

6 cups peeled, chopped fresh peaches (about 7 peaches)

1/2 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons cornstarch (optional)

For the crust and crumbs:

4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons or 1 1/4 cups) cold, unsalted butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

Make the peach filling first:  In a large pan, stir together the chopped peaches, sugar, the vanilla bean seeds and the split bean pod, and the cinnamon.  Stir well to combine and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Turn the heat down and allow to simmer about 30 minutes until the juices have mostly thickened.  You can stop at this point with a little juice, or if you like a thicker filling, stir in the cornstarch and simmer for 2 minutes more until the peach filling is thick.  Remove the filling from the heat and allow to cool to about room temperature.

(Note: This peach filling is also wonderful in crepes or on pancakes or waffles.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking pan and line it with a piece of parchment so that the parchment makes a sling in the pan with the edges hanging up and out the long sides of the pan.  Crease the parchment into the bottom corner of the pan to help keep it in place.  Spray the parchment lightly to make sure everything is well greased.  Set the pan aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment stir together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.  On low speed, add the butter chunks and beat until the mixture is very crumbly and the butter is cut in.  You can do all this by hand if you prefer using your fingertips or a pastry blender to run the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly with the largest chunks about pea-sized.  Add the egg on low speed (or use a fork) until the mixture is crumbly and combined and when squeezed just holds together.

Press about half of the dough mixture into the bottom of the greased pan evenly and pressing into the corners and edges (do not go up the sides of the pan).

Spread the mostly cooled peach filling evenly over the crust in the pan.  Squeeze the remaining crumbs in the bowl lightly to just make bigger crumbs and chunks and scatter that crust over the peach filling.

Bake the bars for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is light golden brown.  Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan.  Use the parchment sling to remove the entire bar from the pan and onto a cutting board.  Use a sharp knife to cut into squares or rectangles (makes about 24 to 30 bars depending on how big or small you cut them).

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.  Great as a breakfast treat or after school snack or make it a real dessert with a little vanilla ice cream and some caramel topping.

Similar Recipes:

Smitten Kitchen - Blueberry Crumb Bars and Peach Shortbread

Brown Butter Peach Bars - Big Sur Cookbook (originally linked via Smitten Kitchen as well)

Annie Eats - Peach Crumb Bars

Cookbook Spotlight Roundup & Interview with Deborah Madison

Remember this Huckleberry Cream Tart I made from Deborah Madison's Seasonal Fruit Desserts book? I just wanted to let you know that the round-up of all the fabulous creations the other participants in the latest Cookbook Spotlight over at A Blithe Palate is posted.

So, don't miss out on seeing all those other creations - make sure to check out the round-up! Before you go, Deborah was kind enough to answer some questions for me that I had about her new book. You can read the whole interview below. Deborah is definitely one intelligent and inspiring lady - it makes reading the book and learning from her truly a joy and inspiration.

PheMOM: What inspired you to write a book that focuses so distinctly about fruit desserts?

Deborah: I love desserts, I started out in pastry, and I've always included desserts in my cookbooks so I finally I wanted to focus on desserts, particularly fruit based desserts. To me fruits are like vegetables —both are plant foods and both can be cooked with— or not. But fruit is so compromised by the requirements put on it for travel and storage I'm concerned for its future. Good fruit is pure pleasure and not a lot has to be done with it, but we're losing touch with that as we eat unripe fruit shipped long distances.

I wanted to bring fruit, and the pleasures it offers for the last course of the meal, into focus. I'd love to be able to do for a peach what's been done for a Brandywine tomato.

I also wanted to write a dessert book that wasn't intimidating, that wasn't about difficult techniques but was more about cooking, and of course, fruit lends itself perfectly to that.

PheMOM: If you had to sum up exactly what you hoped people would learn from this book, what would it be?

Deborah: I would hope that they discover some new approaches to fruit desserts and, of course, enjoy their tastes and the fact that they are so straightforward to make.

I would want them to discover that fruit desserts are gorgeous and satisfying, and that our farmers markets produce other foods that enhance fruit as well, such as cheeses and nuts, jams and syrups, even grains.

But I would also hope that readers would start to think about how the future of fruit rests in part on our willingness to search out good fruit that's most likely going to have been grown close to where you live because the old, wonderful varieties just don't travel. Picked green, they have no flavor; picked ripe, they bruise. You have to be where the fruit is, so look around, try things you haven't tried before, ask questions, and don't feel you have to have strawberries year around. Wait for the rosy little ones that might not be huge but whose flavor will knock you off your feet!

PheMOM: I won't ask you to narrow it down to one recipe in the book, but if you could only eat one fruit from each season for the rest of your life, what fruits would they be and why?

Deborah: Thank you for not asking me to narrow it down to one recipe - impossible, to be sure! This is about fruit and its season and so that would be very hard.

Spring: There isn't a lot to choose from, actually—it's the leanest season because we're tired of dried fruits, apples and pears but we're months away from soft fruits.

I'd say Pixie tangerines because the Pixies are so sweet and juicy and they're one of the last citrus to come into season. Their juice also makes a very good pudding, one of my winter-spring standbys, which is in the book. I'd also choose rhubarb because it's the first fresh spring fruit (vegetable, actually) and it is very lovely seasoned with the juice of the Pixies and other citrus, including grapefruit.

Summer: Artic Rose Nectarines. Actually, any white nectarine or peach is pretty much perfumed and divine and you just slice them and eat them. A truly ripe melon.

Fall: Quince, because I absolutely adore their aromatic quality and their color once cooked, and Concord grapes because they're a "family food" for me and I love to make a Concord grape pie.

Winter: All dried fruits, especially prunes and Medjool dates, because they are luscious and soft and endlessly versatile. I would make mixed fruit compotes with the mixed fruits, a Not so Sticky Pudding, with the dates when I wanted a really rich over-the-top dessert. But more often, I'd make a platter of dates with a tangy goat cheese from the farmers market and some wonderful nut, like Shagbark hickory nuts from a Wisconsin farmers market, maybe a piece of dark chocolate. I do this all winter long, actually, varying the components as citrus move through their season. It's a dessert that you can put together at the last minute and need never be the same twice.

PheMOM: How did you learn so much about all the fruits to share all that amazing and useful information in the book?

Deborah: I visited with lots of farmers and fruit growers. I shopped in farmers markets and orchards all over the country and asked questions. And I read books on botany and fruit.

PheMOM: With such an already amazing array of cookbooks under your belt, what direction do you see yourself heading in if you decide to write another one?

Deborah: I don't think it would be a cookbook per se. I'm not sure I can, or should, write more recipes at this point, but there are other areas I'm interested in exploring around food that have more to do with farming, farmers, and plant life itself. I've a few ideas but they're in their infant stage right now —a little too tender to go out in the world. In the meantime, I'm going to plant a few apricot trees, though, because that's a fruit I adore and it will grow where I live, even if the crop often freezes. When it doesn't, it's heaven!

Cookbook Spotlight: Huckleberry Cream Tart

If you want to see something that is just ridiculously pretty, you need look no further than through the pages of Deborah Madison's new book, Seasonal Fruit Desserts from Orchard, Farm and Market. If you don't quite believe me, just take a look at the book cover below.

Pretty compelling evidence all on its own, isn't it?

The Cookbook Spotlight - organized by Cath at A Blithe Palate (which is where you can find the roundup of posts soon - this time around was a real joy for me. This book is not only beautifully photographed, but it is also beautifully written and formatted with some really incredible and original ideas.

When I was going through the book, I kept coming back to this one recipe though for a Silky Tart Dough that was left unbaked, then filled with a healthy sprinkling of huckleberries, and then mixture of creme fraiche, eggs and a few other ingredients was poured in.

Honestly, the recipe struck my fancy most because I had never seen or read anything else quite like it. The tart dough is processed together into more of a very thick batter that spreads in the most unctuous and yes, silky, manner and then doesn't have to be baked before the filling is added and when baked is a bit of a cross between a tart dough and thick and sturdy delicious cake layer. The filling itself required very little effort on my part and really just a bowl and a whisk and you can see for yourself how gorgeous the results turned out once baked up.

The Huckleberry Cream Tart was amazing to make - really. I whipped it together in about 20 minutes one morning for breakfast (not including baking time of course - which wasn't too long anyway). Huckleberries are my husbands most favorite fruit on the planet, hands down, so he was pretty thrilled - serious good wifey points for me!

If I had any complaints about the book it would probably be simply that it is a bit devilish to have so many gorgeous ideas for how to use seasonal fruits paraded in front of you... then have to wait for them to come in to season! Of course, that is also part of the fun.

Probably my most favorite part of the book is the fact that Deborah shares so much great information about so many different types of fruit that I really didn't know. I finally feel like I have a good guide to these seasonal gems and many ideas and inspiration to work with to use them, and use them well.

The Complete Meal: Vanilla Buttermilk Fresh Cheese

Recently, the wonderful and always brilliant Cath over at A Blithe Palate emailed and asked if I would like to participate in a new occasional event she was putting together. The idea was to take a cookbook and review several sections in the book that would basically put together an entire dinner from start to finish - appetizers, soups, entrees, sides, desserts, and so forth - effectively and simply, Cath is calling the event The Complete Meal. I thought it sounded like a wonderful idea and couldn't wait to jump on board.

The first book we are reviewing is the fairly new (it was only released at the beginning of November) The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor. The book really delivers too! There are lots and lots of fabulous and incredibly appetizing photos of the different dishes, steps, ideas, tips and southern life all throughout the book. I felt a bit like I was getting a southern vacation and just wanted to kick back and read their stories, memories and recipes. All in all I thought the book is very well done and has lots of great ideas.

Since I am kicking off the event this week, my course was to make an appetizer of some kind from the book. While there were several shrimp dishes that sounded delicious, while trying to decide what I was going to make there was one idea that I just couldn't get past - a section on Buttermilk Fresh Cheese and several (11 I think) ideas of what you could do with it.

An unknown fact about me is that for the past year or so I've had this burgeoning curiosity about cheese making. As in, I reeeaaallly wanted to try it. I did try to make some mascarpone a few months ago - which failed miserably (I'm still not sure why - probably impatience on my part).

Anyway, I just kept coming back to the cheese recipe! The directions were simple. The ingredients were simple - just milk, buttermilk and flavoring - in my case the vanilla version with a little sugar added in. Mix and heat in a pot for a few minutes until it separates, strain into some cheese cloth, wring out the whey and within a few minutes - literally about 20 minutes start to finish - I had CHEESE! Crumbly, tender, flavorful and beautiful homemade fresh cheese! Seriously! Now, I don't know about you, but for me, it just doesn't get much cooler than that! I decided to use my cheese just like they suggest in the book, crumbled over some fruit. I would also like to try making it into a completely homemade cheeseball some time, which I think would really be a great treat.

Due to copyright I can't print the recipe here, but let me tell you, you need this book if you like simple fresh ideas, seafood, and Southern hospitality at all! I couldn't even share all the great versions and ideas they had for this cheese and I'm sure you could come up with dozens of more ideas on your own too.

Thanks again to Cath for putting together such a fun event! Be sure to head over to Peabody's blog for next week's course at Culinary Concoctions by Peabody. There will be a course posted each Sunday from now through each section till The Complete Meal is achieved!