The pulled pork I made for Dad's birthday was juicy, succulent, and packed with hickory flavor. The sauce had a tad too much vinegar in it (I've tweaked the recipe) but still set off the pork beautifully. The bacon buns were everything I hoped for savory with a touch of sweetness, light but still substantial.The barbequed beans also turned out well and the three hours they spent sitting on a rack below the pork while it smoked paid off in spades. The Calabacitas with fresh corn, squash, and tomatoes was also delicious and a good complement to the 'Q. The last element was dessert.
What to fix for dessert was easy. It is, after all, peach season. How to fix it was another matter. Or would have been if I hadn't recently taught a class on crepes and so had a few leftover crepes in the fridge.
The recipe is so simple it hardly deserves the term "recipe." Except that each element was chosen carefully to show off the peaches in their best light.
Peach Crêpes with Peach Coulis
Coulis:
2 c sliced fresh peaches
3/4 c water
3 tbsp Frangelica
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Crêpes:
4 ea crêpes
3 ea peaches – peeled and sliced thinly
3 tbsp Frangelica
8 oz mascarpone – at room temperature
Coulis:
Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook, stirring, for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
Pour the mixture into the bowl of a food processor and purée.
Crêpes:
Place mascarpone in a small bowl, add Frangelica, and using an electric hand mixer, beat for about 1 minute. Place a spoonful of mascarpone in the center of each crêpe, add a few peach slices and fold into a square. Set on a plate, folded side down. Add another couple of peach slices, a small dollop of mascarpone, and spoon some coulis over the top. Serves 4.
This same recipe can be used to make strawberry, blueberry, plum, or nectarine crêpes.
In an alternate life, the Paisano is Kevin Weeks: a Gather food correspondent, personal chef, cooking teacher, and writer in Knoxville, Tennessee who spends too many hours on his feet, cooking. "Paisano" the column focuses on peasant dishes from around the world, Paisano the character is fictional. To read more of Kevin's writings or connect to him click here. His blog, Seriously Good, is read by 75,000 cooks a month. Kevin is also a consultant with ChefsLine.com.
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Comments: 19
Thanks, and it's every bit as good as it looks.
Great question. The crepes should be warm ideally, but room temperature is fine.
I can buy crepes (not very good, but edible) at the supermarket, so you might check there. If you want to make your own, they're not difficult but do require mastering a simple technique. The Web has loads of recipes.
I love crepes and try to keep at least one large freezer zip-lock full at all times.
Theresa, there are some electric crepe makers on the market that take all the guesswork out of making them. I have both a crepe pan (to use on the stove) and two (2!!) Maxim electric ones. With the two electric ones on I can make 50 to a 100 crepes in no time at all!
I learned on the stove top one but now for 'easy and convenience' - read laziness - I use the electric ones
I could adapt this to other fruits though, no?
The best peaches I've ever had came from a farm stand in Nashua, NH. Small and incredibly sweet and juicy, they were only available for three weeks. I say this as a Southerner in peach country.
I have been finding that most of the fruit I've bought this summer has been outstanding. Better than usual. What do you think? Better this year than in a long time?
I know htat market. The thing about something like this drought is it makes fruit more precious in terms availability, cost, and especially taste as the those wonderul sugars concentrate.
Susan,
Yah. If I believed in blessings, this is the time for believing.
Yup.
Janine,
It's perfect combination.
Jessie,
Da nada.
Dawn
Peach cobbler tomorrow night.