Phase III… And a Peach Crisp

Phase III has been quite a mixed bag.  I know I haven’t been writing about culinary school or my externship.  It’s easier to come up with a new recipe post than to attempt to articulate my experiences at the moment.  At work I do a lot of prep and I work on cold side.  There’s a lot of repetition and not much rest.  There’s a lot of standing and a lot of opportunities to practice my knife skills.  I’ve pretty much kissed my weekends goodbye but somehow still get to enjoy my evenings.

No matter how stressful work is, this blog is definitely an escape when I allow it to be.  When I come home, I get to cook what I want.  And I get to practice taking better photos.  And when I type up my recipes and upload my photos, I get to sit on my butt the whole time, which is awesome.  At the end of a long day, I really enjoy sitting.

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 8 ripe peaches
• a splash of Grand Marnier
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cake or AP flour
• 1/3 cup water

Topping:

• 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. To peel the peaches, cut an X on the bottom of each peach.  Immerse them in boiling water for 15-30 seconds and then shock them in ice water.
3. Halve, core, and slice your peaches into wedges.  Add them to a saucepan on medium-low heat along with white sugar, flour, water and a healthy splash of Grand Marnier.  Stir to combine.  Allow mixture to simmer for several minutes until the peaches cook down a bit and the sauce thickens to an applesauce consistency.
4. In a food processor, pulse the pecans until coarsely chopped, then add the rolled oats, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and butter.
5. (If you want to prep this in advance, you can make everything up to this point and then refrigerate the ingredients until just before dinner.)
6. Divide mixture evenly between 4 single-serving gratin dishes.  Cover generously with the topping.
7. Bake 15 minutes and enjoy!