Cinnamon Peach Swirl Sourdough

 This recipe was born because we wanted strawberry jam.  ...I'll explain:  We only have so much fridge door real estate, which is where jams and other condiments live, of course. And we also have this sort of unwritten rule about not having more than two types of jam/jelly open in the fridge at once (probably because we need to make sure we have plenty of room for the 5-6 types of pickled things that also live in the door).  There was a new, unopened jar of strawberry jam in the pan but first we needed to use up a partial jar of peach jam that had already been in the fridge for a while.

I couldn't find a recipe for exactly what I wanted to do, so I modified a cinnamon raisin swirl bread I'd had some success with in the past.  The peach jam we had (used about half a jar, or 1 cup) was homemade, from my Aunt Betty, and was delicious, but I wanted some other flavor notes in there. So I mixed in some cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg (to taste). I tried to spread the filling as thin as I could, but with chunks of peach in there, it wasn't perfect.

This got rolled up from right to left, taking plenty of time to make sure I was sealing the edges well, so that there wouldn't be much leakage. Then it went into a well-greased metal loaf pan.

One busted seam...not too bad! Used an egg wash to get a nice glossy, golden top.

This was fabulous toasted with a bit of butter, but some of the slices where the filling was thicker were a tad undercooked, and wouldn't hold up well enough to go in a vertical toaster (would be fine in a toaster oven).  My favorite thing we made with it?  Griddled BLTs.  The peach went so well with the smoky bacon and some pepperjack cheese.

All Things Peach!

I was looking through my backlog of pics and recipes that I haven't shared yet, and noticed a surplus of peach recipes.  Since peach season is coming up soon, it seemed like a good time to share all of these!

First things first:  I was craving bruschetta, but didn't want JUST tomato bruschetta.  So I bought some goat cheese, added some sliced peaches to one, sliced strawberries to another, and sliced mint to both.  UH-MAZE-BALLS.

Next up, I made a peach and proscuitto pizza.  I used a pre-made crust, brushed the crust with garlic & olive oil, then laid down the proscuitto & peaches, and topped with fresh-sliced mozzarella.  After it came out of the oven I added shredded basil and drizzled it with a balsamic glaze.

Next up:  I had some over-fresh peaches that my Aunt sent down from her garden that needed to be used up STAT.  We were out of sugar, so I decided to make a sugar free version freezer jam, using some Splenda for Baking blend.  

Ingredients: (per pint jar)
2 peaches
1/4 cup Splenda for baking
1 Tbsp instant pectin
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions: combine in a blender, food processor, or simply using a hand masher.  Then jar and place in the freezer (or fridge if you're ready to eat right away.

Note: this came out a bit runny, but still delicious. I think my pectin is past its expiration date, which may reduce its thickening powers.  So if you're in the same boat, maybe double the amount of pectin.

Here are some other peach recipes from past entries!

Peach Bread Pudding

Peach Muscadine Sangria

Peach Brandy Fizz

Bacon-Wrapped Crappie (Sac-a-Lait) & Honey Grilled Peaches

So...they tell me it's spring?  Right now, I believe it---but that snow/sleet combo last weekend makes me question our weatherman.  But you know what spring means...the crappie are biting!  I grew up crappie fishing with my parents (if I'd grown up in Louisiana, we'd call it "sac-a-lait" fishing, but I didn't).  Spent nearly every warm weekend on the water...and I have ALL the embarrassing photos to prove it.

Proof that I too was once a sassy teen with no sense of style.

I am a 37 year old woman...whose mom still brings me food.  Does anyone else have a mom like mine? I mean, I'm not complaining.  I love it.  My parents love to fish and keep their (and our) freezer stocked.  A couple months ago, my mom called and said "I found some 'Cajun Style Bacon' on sale for $1.99 a pack. Do you want some?"

Of course, I said yes.  And she brought me like 4 packages of it.

The Hubs doesn't like it as much because it's a little sweet and too smoky for his tastes, but I like it because it's thick cut, not too fatty and very flavorful.  

So in a perfect homage to my awesome parents, I decided to use both the bacon and some crappie they caught to make bacon-wrapped sac-a-lait.  To accompany, since we were firing up the grill anyway (and we had some gorgeous Georgia peaches in the house), we made grilled peaches too. 

INGREDIENTS: (makes 4 servings)

8 crappie filets, lightly dusted with Cajun Seasoning

4 strips of bacon, cut in half to make 8 pieces

8 toothpicks

2 ripe peaches, halved & pitted

coconut oil spray

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
To prep the fish, dry off the filets before seasoning, and then roll up the filet & bacon long-ways so they look like little fishy roses. Secure with toothpicks.

Place on the grill over medium heat (low flame, or away from the flame) and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the flesh of the fish is cooked through and bacon is crisped at edges.

On the top rack of the grill, place the halved peaches flesh-side down (after spraying lightly with coconut oil so they don't stick to the grill).  These don't need to cook so much as just heat through (and try to get those pretty char marks).

Combine the honey, butter, and cinnamon in a small prep bowl.  When the peaches are done, lightly brush them with the honey-butter mixture.

Serve while warm. Enjoy!

NutriFacts: (per serving-2 filets & one peach half)

• Calories209.8
• Total Fat8.2 g
• Saturated Fat2.6 g
• Polyunsaturated Fat0.6 g
• Monounsaturated Fat2.6 g
• Cholesterol15.2 mg
• Sodium202.4 mg
• Potassium100.6 mg
• Total Carbohydrate7.4 g
• Dietary Fiber1.3 g
• Sugars5.5 g
• Protein24.7 g

Thirsty Thursday: Peach Muscadine Sangria

I picked up this bottle of wine during my last trip down to Louisiana, knowing that we had an upcoming BBQ for our 5th wedding anniversary.  It seemed like a perfect way to add a little "Cajun" flair to our party!  

In the past, I've not had a lot of good luck with Louisiana wines--primarily because the grape that grows the best in Louisiana is the muscadine.  It's a beautiful, GIANT grape with a thick skin, native to the southeastern states with a slightly odd sweet taste that in my past experiences has resulted in an overly sweet wine.  However, it seems that Landry Vineyards has managed to tame the wild muscadine, resulting in a light, semi-sweet, very drinkable peach blend.  I would have been perfectly content to sip this chilled from a glass all by itself on our back porch...but I promised our friends a peach sangria!

I was really pleased with how this turned out.  Very light, drinkable, not overly sweet, perfect for a summer BBQ!

INGREDIENTS:
1 bottle (750mL) peach muscadine wine (you could sub another white fruit blend if you can't find this exact one)
1 cup peach brandy
1/4 cup lime juice
2 cans ginger ale
Fresh Fruit: 2 peaches, 1 apple, 1 orange, washed

DIRECTIONS:
The morning of the day you plan on serving (or the night before if you'll be having with brunch), slice up your fruit and add to a pretty pitcher.  Pour in the lime juice, brandy, wine, and ginger ale, stir, and then cover to help preserve the effervescence.  Place in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours, then serve to your guests! Use the bits of fruit as garnish. Enjoy!

Grillin’ Time: Grilled Peaches & Ice Cream

So, you may notice a trend for a while:  If I make a post, it’s something super-simple and easy.  Because that’s about all we have time for anymore.  Summer is gearing up and things at the ice cream shoppe are in full swing!  It’s tiring and mass pandemonium at times, but we are still enjoying it… particularly that 7-hour coma we fall into every evening out of sheer exhaustion. :D

This week, peaches were on sale, as was corn, so we decided grilling was in order!  We charred a couple brats, seasoned our corn with smoked salt, chili powder & honey butter:

…but a dessert was needed.   A grilled dessert.  That goes great with ice cream.

INGREDIENTS:

2 peaches, washed, halved & pits removed

1 tbsp light butter

1 tbsp honey

cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream

 

DIRECTIONS:

Melt the butter & honey together in a small bowl, and use a pastry brush to coat both sides of the peach halves.  (We used this honey butter on our corn too—delish)

Sprinkle cinnamon over the tops.

Once your grill is good & heated,  place on the upper rack skin-side down and grill for 3-4 minutes, then flip and place on the lower rack for 3-4 minutes.

Serve with ice cream.  I sprinkled more cinnamon on mine—the Hubs went for extra honey.

DEVOUR!!!

Peach Bread Pudding.

I did it.  I finally did it.  I made a bread pudding!

But of course, because I’m ME, I couldn’t make a normal, plain-jane bread pudding.  Oh no.  That just wouldn’t be kosher.  (Not that anything’s kosher around this blog…I mean…have you SEEN the amount of bacon & bacon grease we have around here?)

We were having a potluck in honor of our company owner’s birthday this past week so I decided it was time. 

I should point out that I’m quite finnicky about bread pudding.  To enjoy it:

1. It must be served warm, through & through.  Cold bread pudding is disgusting, and I’ve come across FAR too many NOLA establishments that think it’s perfectly acceptable to serve cold bread pudding. *gags*

2. The sauce must also be warm, and not too boozy.  I’m eating dessert, not having a cocktail.

3. The predominant flavor should be cinnamon.  Not rum.

So when I stumbled upon a recipe for peach bread pudding, I thought—this is the dessert for me.  Peach cobbler is one of my favorites, and how seamlessly it should combine with a bread pudding!

I was SO right.

Ingredients:

4-6 cups bread, cubed into small pieces (about one average sized loaf)

1 can fat free sweetened condensed milk

3 large eggs

2.5 cups canned or fresh peaches (I used frozen unsweetened & they worked perfectly)

1/2 cup peach juice (if you use frozen, just defrost them in the microwave & it should produce a good amount of juice

1.25 c hot water

4 tbsp light butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Sauce:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup light butter

2 tbsp light corn syrup (NOTE: if you don’t have corn syrup, no problem!  Combine 2 tbsp of white sugar + 2 tsp warm water and stir.  Microwave for 20 seconds & crystals should mostly dissolve.  Then add to the pan.)

1 tbsp rum OR 2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325F.  Grease an 11x7 baking dish.

Cube up your bread.

In a separate large bowl, combine peaches, condensed milk, eggs (lightly beaten), hot water, butter, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg & stir well.

(Recipes on Nooks are mighty handy.)

Add your bread & stir until bread is moistened.

Transfer into your baking dish.

Note: You can also make little individual bread puddings in rammekins, like I did, so that my husband & I could taste test the dish without destroying the pan I was taking to the potluck.

Place in the middle of the oven & bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the pudding comes out clean.

In the last 10-20 minutes of your baking process, make the sauce for your pudding.

Combine the sauce ingredients over medium heat, bring to a boil, & let simmer for 3-4 minutes or until it starts to thicken.  It will thicken more as it cools.

Serve the bread pudding warm, with warm sauce.

I, my husband, and my coworkers absolutely fell in love with this dish.  I’m DEFINITELY making it again!

 

NutriFacts: (makes 16 servings)

Calories 234.0

  Total Fat 3.5 g

  Saturated Fat 1.0 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 1.1 g

  Cholesterol 37.8 mg

  Sodium 86.4 mg

  Potassium 89.4 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 47.1 g

  Dietary Fiber 1.3 g

  Sugars 26.2 g

  Protein 6.2 g