Peaches

I've really enjoyed learning to cook with and appreciate in-season ingredients which are found in abundance at the markets. The summer months saw stalls stocked with a bounty of berries, cherries and asparagus. As fall approaches, berries are being replaced with succulent, ripe peaches whose redolence fills the market space.

Having grown up in Georgia, I happen to have a soft spot for peaches and usually prefer them in their purest form (or in churned ice cream); however, roasting them enhances their natural sweetness. I've tried the recipe below, a kind of rustic peach crumble, and found that the additions don't alter the flavor, but they do enhance the 'peachiness' of the fruit.

Roasted Peach Crumble*

- 1 oz or perhaps 7-8 amaretti cookies (a kind of almond flavored Italian macaroons; if you can't find amaretti cookies, something like gingersnaps will suffice, but amaretti are best)

- 3 TBS whole almonds (optional)

- 2 TBS all-purpose flour

- 1 1/2 TBS white sugar

- 1 TSP brown sugar

- 3 TBS unsalted butter, cubed

- 4 to 5 ripe peaches, wiped clean of fuzz, halved and pitted. (I've found that running a knife through both ends and gently twisting the halves apart allows me to keep the peach halves in tact. Once halved, pluck out pit using a knife or paring knife.)

- Vanilla ice cream or whipped heavy cream sweetened with sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a baking dish that's large enough to accommodate the peach halves.

Combine first five ingredients in the bowl of a food processor until mixture is coarsely ground. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Place peaches, halved side up, in the baking dish and evenly divide the mixture among the peaches making sure to press down lightly.

Bake peaches until fork tender and topping is golden, about 35 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and serve with ice cream or whipped heavy cream.

*recipe adapted from Bon Appetit