Good news for fruit lovers: After two seasons where late frosts damaged a large portion of their fruit, local farmers are in the midst of what is expected to be an outstanding peach crop.
Early clingstone varieties first appeared in June and were sweet and juicy. Now we are headed into the freestone season, when the fruit easily comes away from the pit. This is the ideal time for eating peaches, and for baking with them, canning and freezing. Local peaches are best for these because since there is no need to transport them, growers can leave them on the trees until they are ripe.
When you eat a local peach, you are getting more nutrition than you may realize. Peaches are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants and include large amounts of vitamins A, C, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B6, beta-carotene and folate. If you eat bananas for potassium, rest assured that a medium peach has more than a banana. It also has calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc.
Southerners know how to use their many peaches; this recipe is a variation on a chocolate favorite from southernliving.com.
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 15 (2 ¼ - x 5-inch) graham cracker sheets)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
1 ¼ pounds firm-ripe fresh peaches (about 5 small (4 ounces each) peaches), peeled and sliced into ½ -inch-thick slices (about 4 cups)
½ cup peach preserves
4 teaspoons cornstarch
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 ¼ cups (about 4 ounces) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, salt, and ¼ cup of the granulated sugar in a large bowl until combined. Press mixture evenly into bottom of an 11-by-7-inch baking dish. Bake in preheated oven until crust is toasty and edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer baking dish to a wire rack; let crust cool completely, about 45 minutes.
2. While crust cools, stir together peaches, peach preserves, cornstarch and remaining ½ cup granulated sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low, stirring often, until peaches soften and mixture thickens and becomes jammy, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
3. While peach mixture cools, beat whipping cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute. Set whipped cream aside. Wipe beaters clean. Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Fold half of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture using a rubber spatula until just combined; repeat with remaining whipped cream. Spoon cream cheese mixture into cooled crust; smooth top using a small offset spatula. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.
5. Spoon cooled peach mixture evenly over cream cheese mixture, spreading to edges of cream cheese mixture. Chill, covered, until filling is firm, about 2 hours. Cut evenly into 10 bars, and serve. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 5 days.
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