Spiced Peach Buckle

Stone fruit desserts exemplify summer for me. I've expressed my love of peaches here before, and to my delight they are really starting to come into their own with the first freestone varieties available at the market now. The long, warm days we've been having are making for some fantastic tasting fruit this year.

Today is July 4th and while I'm not big on stars and stripes or marching music, I do love an afternoon of grilling and spending time with family and friends. This is a delicious dessert that is sure to be the perfect ending to a summer meal. It's so simple and homey and really allows the flavor of the fruit to shine through. A 'buckle' is nothing more than a pudding-like cake that when baked, puffs up around the fruit which is nestled all over the top. It's similar to a cobbler but not as biscuity. I happen to be a big fan of 'the buckle'. I think it strikes that perfect balance between cake and custard. I hope you'll agree!

Enjoy!

Spiced Peach Buckle:

Yields 8 servings

6 TB unsalted butter, melted

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup milk ( I used 2%)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp minced fresh ginger

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

4 large peaches, sliced 1/2" thick

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 2qt oval baking dish. Set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and spices. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk to combine. You should have something that looks like cake batter. Pour this over the butter in the bottom of the dish and spread out gently.

3) Nestle the peach slices all over the surface of the batter. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the cake is set in the middle and the edges are golden brown. Serve with ice cream, lightly sweetened whipped cream, or creme fraiche.