I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful peach tree in my yard that produces early fruit every year. The peaches are juicy and delicious. Then to my surprise, my last Talley Farms CSA box also contained some gorgeous white peaches in it. To find a recipe worthy of these jewels was my challenge.
Checking through my refrigerator, I noticed some raspberries from my Talley Farms box and that’s when it hit me. Peach Melba! I used to work in this restaurant where we served a Peach Melba dessert. It was vanilla ice cream with peaches and raspberry sauce. An unusual combination that was both colorful and delicious. I wanted this to be more of a constructed dessert though, and that is when I found the Peach Melba Bars on Carrian’s “oh, sweet basil” blog.
I made several containers of peach puree from my collection of wonderful peaches and that’s where it all began. If you are lucky enough to find yourself with an abundance of peaches, you can simply make batches of peach puree and freeze them so they are easily available to create a wonderful dessert at any time.
In an effort to enjoy this dessert’s incredible flavor without feeling too guilty, I altered the ingredients a bit. I cut back on some of the butter and sugar without it affecting the result negatively at all. In addition, you can easily create your own version of sweetened condensed milk from scratch if you want to avoid the canned product and minimize the sweetness. It is easy to do by letting it cook down slowly while busying yourself around the house. Either way, don’t feel too guilty because a portion or two of this scrumptious dessert won’t kill you after all, and the compliments you get will be so overwhelming that you’ll forget all about the calories! Believe me, I can attest that as a non sweet lover, it’s worth every bite. And besides, it is dessert!
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup peach puree (remove skins and pit of 2 peaches and puree)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 can (14.5 oz) sweetened condensed milk (or make your own version-see note)
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups raspberries
- Graham Cracker Crust
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and butter. stir until moistened like wet sand and press into an 8×8″ baking pan, coming up a little around the edges. It helps to use the flat bottom of a small measuring cup to spread the crust.
- Bake at 350° for 8 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, peach puree and egg yolks. Fold in the raspberries and set aside.
- Remove the crust from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Pour the filling in and spread evenly over the crust. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes OR until the filling is set and then cool for 15 minutes before placing in the fridge to finish chilling. Serve with fresh whipped cream. (Note: Cooking time may vary based on your oven. When the edges are a bit puffed and golden it is set. It does not need to be real firm as it will finish setting up once it is chilled)
Note
- This crust is intended to be a little thicker than your usual graham crust.
- Serve it right from the refrigerator so it remains firm.
Ingredients
- 1½ c. whole milk
- ½ or ⅔ c. unrefined sugar (organic cane sugar or sucanat depending on your final goal for the condensed milk)
- 3 Tbs. butter
- 1 tsp. homemade vanilla or vanilla extract
Directions
- Mix sugar and milk together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stirring often, bring to a low simmer over medium-low heat. As soon as steam starts lifting off the milk, lower the heat even further, and when the sugar is entirely dissolved, put the heat as low as it can go. A simmer burner is great for this.
- The goal is to reduce the quantity in the pot (which is now about 1¾ cups) by approximately half. It takes about 2 hours at very low heat to reduce to one cup of liquid. You could speed it up a bit if you watch carefully and stir often.
- Once reduced to your satisfaction, whisk in the butter and vanilla.
(Printable recipe can be found in my recipe index under Desserts)