Monday, September 29, 2008

Peach Crumble Bars


Peaches and I have a bit of a tumultuous relationship. I love them. But there is only a short window where they are actually edible. Sure, they're sold year-round. But if you buy a peach when they're not in season here, they're grainy, mushy (or hard as a rock) and flavourless. I actually feel quite angry when I see them in the grocery store in January. Why waste the gas to ship them north when they taste so gross? They look good, but don't be fooled. Peaches + out of season + Canada = BAD. Ok. End of rant.


With my feelings about out of season peaches in mind, I decided to stock up on ripe peaches. In searching the net looking for ways to freeze peaches, I mainly saw that the peaches should be frozen with a sweatener solution. I may regret the decision, but I decided to go with flash freezing of peeled and sliced peaches and call it a day.


I blanched the fruit and the skin easily peeled off.


I then cored the peach and sliced them in wedges.


I froze the peaches on parchment paper overnight and put them into a freezer bag the next day.


So far, so good.

But, my eyes were bigger than my fridge and I still had a lot peaches left over. So, I decided to go with a variation on a tried and true recipe. Remember the Blueberry Crumble Bars? They originated with Smitten Kitchen and have since become one of the most popular recipes on the food blogs. Well, I made them again. Except this time, I used a peach filling instead of blueberries.


I did everything the same as the previous time, except I used small chunks of peaches instead of blueberries. I also added extra corn starch, since peaches hold more liquid than blueberries. In the end, I still needed to use a slotted spoon to remove the peaches from the liquid that formed when I added the sugar mixture.

With those modifications, the consistency was just fine.


Much to my delight, the results were great. Quite a different flavour from blueberries, but very good.



This recipe came in handy this weekend. R and I met up with Giz for a foodie weekend. I brought a bunch of crumble bars for the road. Giz and I will tell you all about the weekend in some upcoming posts.

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26 comments:

La Bella Cooks said...

These look comforting and would be perfect with my tea about now.

That Girl said...

And THAT my friend is why I am ALL about the peaches when we're in South Carolina. They're unparalleled.

Emily said...

They're lovely!

I agree with about peaches; they can be hit and miss. I've been a little disappointed this summer.

Ivy said...

I've had the most delicious peaches this summer and you are right that we should buy them only when they are in season. Your peach crumble bars look great.

Anonymous said...

I agree! We've become SO spoilt with produce and its abundancy that we don't even think twice about waste! I would so love to enjoy one of your mouthwatering squares now!
Ronell

Beth (jamandcream) said...

These look fab. Will have to bookmark

Hopie said...

Wow those look delicious! I wish I had a bigger freezer so I could freeze more fruits while they're in season. They're so yummy!

Julia said...

What a great idea to freeze peaches! I never eat them anymore because it's always so disappointing... And great use of the extras,very impressive.

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh! Those looks soooo good. Peaches are one of those fruits that taste even MORE amazing when baked. YUM!

kat said...

Oh I bet those were so wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Wow, I can't believe you went to all that trouble--though I agree, peaches in January here are GROSS. (In fact, I just bought some last week, and. . .not so good, either). But these bars look great!

OhioMom said...

"Peaches + out of season + Canada = BAD. Ok. End of rant"

Here here .. rant away!

Those bars look really good, and I can't wait to see how your frozen product holds up. Please let us know.

Deborah said...

I bought a big box of peaches last year and was scrambling to use them all before they went bad. I wish I would have thought to freeze them! I just may have to try that this year - along with the peach crumble bars!!

Cheryl Arkison said...

Thankfully baking can save the not too bad peaches... sort of. I was really disappointed with this year's BC crop. A very short season for the good stuff.

grace said...

i didn't make a single peach dessert this summer. what was i thinking? these look terrific, and now i'm kicking myself. :)

Darius T. Williams said...

Yes - another great hit! Wonderful.

-DTW
www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

The Peanut Butter Boy said...

Blueberry may be more traditional for a crumble bar but these sound great. I freeze peaches and nectarines all the time (specifically white ones) because they are the key ingredient to my fresh peanut butter ice cream. You should try white nectarines, they are incredibly creamy, even more so than peaches.

Katrina said...

What a good idea and looks and sounds so yummy!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful and Happy New Year to you!

test it comm said...

Peach bars sounds really good!

Patsyk said...

I won't touch peaches when they are out of season either... it's just not worth it. Gotta be patient and wait until August hits here, and then you can truly enjoy the best there is!

Bunny said...

Be still my heart these look so good! I love peaches with all they're juicey sweetness!

Cakelaw said...

These bars look marvellous. Our fresh peach season is about 3 months off, so I guess I'll have to wait until then.

Rosie said...

Your peach bars look SO good a must try!!

Rosie x

Half Baked said...

Yum yum yum that's all I can say!!

Anonymous said...

I wish delicious peaches were available year round.

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