Peach Filled Pastries Food

EASY PEACH TARTLETS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400˚F. Thaw pastry 20 minutes at room temp, or until you can unfold the pastry. Cut into 9 equal sized squares and place on parchment lined baking sheet, spacing 1-inch apart.
• Beat 1 egg in a small bowl and set aside.
• Slice peaches into 1/3" thick slices and place in a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp flour, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp vanilla and gently fold together with a spatula.
• Layer 3 to 4 peach slices over the center of each pastry square. Avoid getting peach juice on pastry edges. Brush pastry edges generously with beaten egg. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
• Bake on the center oven rack at 400˚F for 17-19 min or until puffed and golden at the edges, turning the sheet halfway through baking. Note: Do not over-bake. It browns quickly towards the end. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for 10 min.
• While pastry cools, make the glaze: in a measuring cup, stir together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 Tbsp milk. Add more milk if needed to reach desired consistency then drizzle over your warm pastries.

FRESH PEACH TURNOVERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400º.
• As you're slicing the peaches, save the juice.
• Combine peach juice with sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Cook until thick and bubbly.
• Add peaches, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Cool slightly.
• Lightly roll out each pastry sheet on floured surface.
• Cut each sheet into 4 squares.
• Place some of peach filling on half of each square. Brush edges with beaten egg. Fold over into a triangle (or rectangle) and press to seal edges (or crimp with fork).
• Place on baking sheets.
• Bake at 400º for 10-15 minutes until lightly brown and puffy.
• Cool on racks.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Or frost with a powdered sugar frosting.

CREAM-FILLED PEACH COOKIES

Steps:

• Pastry cream:.
• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring half and half to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, vigorously whisk egg yolks, sugar and salt until thick and pale yellow; add cornstarch and whisk until completely smooth. Whisking constantly, gradually add warm half and half. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until custard is very thick and paste-like in texture, and begins to boil, about 6 minutes. Add peach preserves and vanilla and stir until completely incorporated. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with plastic, pressing directly onto surface of custard, and chill until cold, at least 2 hours.
• Cookies:.
• Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until combined. Whisk eggs and sugar in another bowl until foamy. Add milk, peach juice, butter, vanilla and orange zest and whisk until combined. Fold wet mixture into the dry until dough comes together and no lumps of flour remain. Batter will be very thick and sticky.
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment; set aside. Rub hands with melted butter to prevent the dough from sticking and roll a tablespoon of dough firmly between your palms to make a smooth, round ball. Repeat with remaining dough (and more butter if necessary) arranging balls on prepared baking sheets spaced 1" apart, 24 balls per sheet. Balls should be uniform in size and shape. Rub hands with butter and lightly flatten each ball, they will round out slightly and look more peach-like as they bake. Bake one tray at a time in the center rack until bottoms are lightly browned but the tops are still pale, 14-16 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 5 minutes.
• While the cookies are still warm, use a small, sharp paring knife to cut a circle about the size of a quarter on the bottom (flat) side of each cookie, taking care not to crack the edges or pierce the top. Use the tip of the knife to scrape out enough crumbs to hollow out and hold a teaspoon of pastry cream. Set cookies aside.
• Assembly:.
• Stir peach juice and 10 drops food coloring in a small, stain resistant bowl until color is uniform and bright red. Transfer sugar to a small bowl. Give the pastry cream a vigorous stir to break it up and smooth it out. Fill each cookie shell with a heaping teaspoon of pastry cream, smooth the surface of the cream and wipe any excess off the rim of the cookie. The cookie cavity should be full but not stuffed or the cookie might crack or break. Repeat with remaining cookies and cream.
• Gently sandwich two cookies together being careful not to crack or break but pressing them together until they stick (the cream is the glue). If the cookies won't stay together, add a little more cream and try again. Using a pastry brush, paint each "peach" with colored juice and roll in sugar to coat. Repeat with remaining cookies. Transfer to a baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap and chill 8 hours, overnight works great. Just before serving, insert a small sprig of mint and a single whole clove where the two cookies come together.

PESCHE CON CREMA (PEACHES WITH CREAM)

Steps:

• Make the pastry cream: In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring milk and lemon zest to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow; add flour and whisk until well combined.
• Remove lemon zest from milk and discard; slowly whisk hot milk into egg mixture. Return mixture to saucepan and place over medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, until cream thickens and begins to boil.
• Transfer pastry cream to a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap, pressing down on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool completely.
• Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder. Whisk eggs in another large bowl. Add sugar and whisk to combine. Whisk in milk, butter, and lemon zest until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing with a fork, until dough is smooth and stiff. Let dough rest for 5 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with nonstick baking mats; set aside.
• Using a lightly mounded tablespoon of dough, roll the dough firmly between your palms to make a smooth round ball, about the size of a walnut. Repeat process, taking care to make sure all the balls are fairly uniform in size. Place balls on prepared baking sheets spacing about 1 inch apart; you should be able to fit 24 balls on each baking sheet. Flatten tops slightly with your fingertips.
• Transfer to oven and bake until bottoms are lightly browned, about 15 minutes; tops will remain pale. Transfer to a rack and let cool slightly.
• Assemble the peaches: While the cookies are still warm, use a small, sharp knife to cut a circle about the size of a quarter on the bottom (flat) side of each cookie, taking care not to crack the edges. Use the tip of the knife to scrape out enough crumbs to make hollow and hold about 1 teaspoon pastry cream. Set cookies aside.
• Place rum or maraschino liqueur and schnapps in a small bowl. Add enough red and yellow food coloring to create your desired shade of peach; set aside. Fill a shallow bowl with sugar; set aside.
• Fill each hollowed-out cookie with 1 teaspoon filling. Sandwich two cookies together so that the filling comes just to the edge, taking care not to crack or break. Using a pastry brush, brush "peach" with colored liquor and roll in sugar to coat. Transfer to a large airtight container and repeat process with remaining cookies, liqueur, and sugar. Cover container and transfer to refrigerator; let chill overnight.
• Just before serving, pierce each "peach" with a toothpick where the two cookies come together and insert the stem of a peach leaf. Alternatively, you can garnish cookies with decorative or chocolate leaves.