PEACH CRUMBLE RECIPE

Ingredients

Streusel Topping

(recipe from Kate Zuckerman’s “The Sweet Life: Desserts From Chanterelle”)

• 1 +1/4 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup packed, moist dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 ounces chilled butter

Fruit Filling

• 4 large peaches
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Juice of half a lemon
• 3 whole star anise
• 1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthwise and seeds scraped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a food processor, pulse flour, salt and sugars. Cut butter into 1/4-inch cubes and add to the flour mixture. Pulse until the butter is pea-sized and coated with flour. Do not let the dough come together in a ball. Set aside at room temperature.
3. In a small pot combine boiling water, lemon juice, sugar, star anise and vanilla seeds together with the vanilla pod and stir until all the sugar dissolves.
4. Cut a small cross in the bottom of each peach with a knife. Place them inside the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Transfer to a large bowl filled with cold water and ice to stop the cooking process.
6. Take peaches out of the pot. Peel off the skin, remove the stones and slice into medium-sized pieces. Put them back into the pot and let steep for 15-20 minutes.
7. Remove peach chunks with a slotted spoon and transfer to a clean bowl. Add 2 tbsp of poaching juice and toss. Pack the fruit evenly on the bottom of each baking dish and top with the streusel. Do not pack the topping down.
8. Bake until the crumb topping has browned and the fruit is bubbling beneath, 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes.
9. The crisp is best eaten the day it is made but will keep, refrigerated, for 4 days.