A ripe peach is one of late summer’s headiest pleasures. Sunset-colored, rose-scented, dripping with juice, the suede-like texture of the skin giving way to syrupy flesh on your tongue. John stands at the kitchen sink to eat a peach, the nectar running down his chin. It’s hard to imagine what could possibly be an improvement on something that’s already so perfect – and yet, here it is: Peach-Vanilla Crisp.
It doesn’t take much to transform peak-season peaches into this intoxicating dessert. A quick blanch in boiling water releases the skins, then the sliced peaches are tossed with sugar, a tiny bit of flour – and vanilla, which has such an affinity for peaches, it amplifies their perfume-y flavor, adding depth and complexity without tasting overtly of itself. As they bake, the peaches soften and their juices darken, taking on a consistency as thick and glossy as peach preserves.
The brown sugar and oat topping is the same one I use for other varieties of fruit crisps, such as this Strawberry Rhubarb version. The underside of the topping softens into the filling and melds with the juices, but the top stays crumbly and crunchy, and – my favorite part – the edges along the side of the baking dish caramelize into an almost cookie-like crust.
How do you choose a perfect peach? It’s frustrating how difficult it can sometimes be to judge the quality of a piece of fruit just by the way it looks. You know what I’m talking about: the softly yielding melon with flesh that ends up tasting like pulpy water; the mushy apple; the sour blackberries; the dry and fibrous orange. Most disappointing of all: the mealy peach.
Here in Connecticut there are good and bad years for peaches, and this year has been a particularly good one. They showed up early at the farm stands, in late July, and have been consistently excellent. Even still, there are always peaches in the bin that were picked too early – showing the telltale green tint around the stem end which means that they’ll never fully ripen. It doesn’t matter if the peaches are rock hard, as long as there’s no hint of green, they’ll ripen on the counter and become juicy and flavorful. At least, this is my experience. What tricks do you have for picking out a perfect peach?
Now let’s talk about the other important ingredient in Peach-Vanilla Crisp: the vanilla. It should go without saying that you should always use pure vanilla extract in baking, never imitation.
In this crisp I double up on the vanilla flavor by using vanilla sugar in addition to the extract. There are commercial versions of vanilla sugar available – I have never tried them so I can’t recommend one over the other, or predict how well they’ll work in this crisp. If you want to try a store-bought vanilla sugar, just make sure to choose one that uses pure, natural vanilla, and beware of the size of the sugar crystals – many brands of vanilla sugar are meant for stirring into coffee, not for baking, and sugar is raw with large rock-like crystals, not granulated.
Making Vanilla Sugar
It’s easy to make vanilla sugar at home, not to mention a good way to get a more use out of outrageously expensive vanilla beans. First, plan to make a couple of recipes that call for the seeds from whole vanilla beans – such as vanilla pudding, Crème Anglaise or crème brulee. After scraping the seeds out of the pod for your recipe, stuff the empty pod into a small container filled with one cup of granulated sugar, and make sure the sugar completely covers the pod. Add another pod the next time you have one. I find a ratio of two pods to one cup of sugar works well. Let the pods sit in the sugar for a couple of weeks, then discard the pods and use the vanilla sugar within a couple of months. Vanilla sugar can be used in any recipe that calls for both granulated sugar and vanilla (so, virtually any kind of baking), but it really makes an impact in a dish like this Peach-Vanilla Crisp, where the vanilla is the only spice and its marriage with the peaches is so divine.
If you haven’t made vanilla sugar in advance and don’t want to use store-bought, just use a little more extract to compensate. The instructions in the recipe provide guidelines.
And I can’t resist one more layer of vanilla, in the scoop of slightly-softened vanilla ice cream that melts into rivers and pools on top of the still-warm crisp.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Peach-Vanilla Crisp can be made earlier in the day and kept uncovered at room temperature, or the day before and kept covered and chilled. It can be served at room temperature (or even cold) but I like it best warm. To reheat, put the entire dish – or portions spooned out into a smaller baking dish – into a 300 degree oven for 15 to 25 minutes depending on how cold it was going in. I don’t recommend the microwave for reheating – using the oven will re-crisp the topping, while the microwave will make it soggy.
- Leftovers will keep for several days, in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
For a complete menu that features this dish, see my post for Saturday September 12, 2020.
Peach-Vanilla Crisp
Peaches and vanilla are a match made in heaven. If you have vanilla sugar on hand, use it in the filling mixture. If you don’t, increase the amount of vanilla extract to compensate.
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 large, ripe peaches, about 2½ pounds
- ½ to 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup vanilla sugar, or use plain granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or 1/8 teaspoon of Morton’s
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2/3 cup old fashioned oats
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2 Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and have a large bowl of ice water standing by. When the water is boiling, dump the peaches in and boil them for exactly 30 seconds, then immediately transfer them to the ice water using a slotted spoon. Use your hands to pull the skin off the peaches – it should come off easily. If any stubborn bits of skin cling, use a sharp paring knife to peel or trim them away. Cut closely around the pits to free the flesh, and slice the flesh into thick slices. Transfer the peaches and all the juices that have accumulated on the cutting board to a large bowl. Drizzle the peaches with the vanilla extract, using the higher amount if you will not be using vanilla sugar.
- Step 3 Combine the vanilla sugar (or ¼ cup of plan granulated sugar), 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of flour and half of the kosher salt in a small bowl. Toss to combine the dry ingredients, then toss the dry ingredients with the peaches until everything is well combined. Let the peaches sit while you make the topping.
- Step 4 Combine the remaining 1 cup of flour, 2/3 of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and the remaining salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is broken down into pieces the size of peas. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, add the oats, and toss and rub the mixture together with your fingers until everything is well combined.
- Step 5 Spread the peaches out in a 2-quart ceramic, stoneware or glass baking dish (do not use metal). Scatter the topping over the peaches in a thick layer.
- Step 6 Put the baking dish on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper to catch drips. Bake the crisp for 1 hour. After one hour, the peach filling will be bubbling, thick and glossy, and the crisp topping should be a nice golden brown. If the topping isn’t brown enough, transfer the dish to the top rack and turn the oven to the Roast or Broil setting for just a minute or two, watching carefully, until the top is lightly browned.
- Step 7 Remove the dish to a cooling rack and let the crisp cool for 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, cold heavy cream, or whipped cream.
