Peach and Raspberry Crisp

I just made this dessert with some fresh Ruston Peaches. Yummy!  It's another Barefoot Contessa recipe. I think I could become this lady's sous chef.

Ingredients:

• 10 ripe peaches
• ½ pint of raspberries
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 ¼ C. granulated sugar
• 1 C. light brown sugar
• 1 ½ C. all-purpose flour plus 2 T.
• 1 C. quick-cooking oatmeal
• ¼ t. salt
• 2 sticks of butter, cold, cut into cubes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Butter a 13 x 9 x 2 Pyrex baking dish
3. Boil water in a large pot, place a few peaches at a time in the boiling water for 30 seconds
4. Remove the peaches and place them in a bowl with ice water
5. NOW, the peaches will peel easy
6. Peel the peaches and cut into thick chunks, and place in a large bowl
7. Add the lemon zest, ¼ C. granulated sugar, ½ C. brown sugar, and 2 T. flour
8. Toss well, then gently mix the raspberries in
9. Let the fruit sit while making the crumb topping
10. Combine the flour, oatmeal, 1 C. granulated sugar, ½ C. brown sugar, salt, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment
11. Mix on low speed until the butter is pea-sized and the mixture is crumbly
12. Pour the fruit into the  baking dish
13. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit
14. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the top is brown and the juices are bubbly
15. Let the dessert rest for 15 minutes before serving

Tips and Tricks:

• This is excellent with vanilla ice cream.
• I don’t have Kitchen-aid mixer, that’s what this recipe is calling for to make this crumb topping.  I used my traditional hand mixer and it worked OK.
• You can make this the day before, put it in the refrigerator overnight and just bake it again for about 20 minutes when you are ready to serve it.

Very Berry Salad with Coconut Cream Sauce

This is another Barefoot Contessa recipe for the salad.  The sauce is a creation of my friend Jeannien's mom, JoAnn.  This is great to serve for brunch or to bring for a potluck.  It is easy to make, but makes such a nice presentation.

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of strawberries
• 1 pint of blackberries
• 1 pint of raspberries
• 1 pint of blueberries
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• ¼  C. sugar
• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• ½ box of powdered sugar
• ½ C. Coconut Rum (more or less)

Directions:

1. Rinse all the berries well and let drain
2. Cut strawberries into halves or fourths, depending on size
3. Mix all berries together
4. Mix vinegar and sugar in a separate bowl and pour over the berries
5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour
6. While the berries are cooling, beat cream cheese with a blender until smooth
7. Add powdered sugar gradually
8. Add rum until the desired consistency you like

Tips and Tricks:

• I know you might think, vinegar with berries GROSS!  It is NOT, you don’t even taste the vinegar, but it compliments the berries and sugar so well.
• The sauce is not necessary, but SOOO good.  I serve the sauce in a gravy boat and let people pour as little or as much as they like over the berry salad.
• If you don’t make the sauce, you can serve the salad over vanilla ice cream.
• We have also served this salad over angel food cake or pound cake.