{in my kitchen} peach dumplings

I bought the Smitten Kitchen's cookbook I'd say, ohhh, at least 6 months ago and until this weekend didn't make one thing out of it.  Not because nothing looked good, just out of pure laziness.  When I awoke on Saturday to gloominess, I decided that was the day to get a start on new adventures.  Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing a few success stories [I somehow also found the time to make the Popcorn Cookies, Zucchini Salad and Heart-Filled Shells].

First up, the Peach Dumplings with Hard Rum Sauce [I replaced the Bourban with Rum since that's what happened to be stocked in the bar].  This was actually a bit easier than I expected it to be and had a majority of the ingredients already, which is one of the reasons that I was drawn to this book in the first place - nothing over complicated or a million ingredients that you will never use again.

Peach Dumplings with Rum Hard Sauce recipe via the smitten kitchen cookbook

*Variations* Keep in mind, I made a Rum sauce instead of Bourbon + used Puff Pastry dough instead of making my own - it's a bit quicker if in a hurry // have no patience like myself

[Ingredients]
3 large peaches
1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Few fresh gratings of nutmeg, or a pinch of ground [I used ground cloves]
1 tbsp butter, cut into 6 pieces, kept cold
1 large egg for glaze

4 tbsp butter, room temp
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp bourbon or rum

• [Dough] If you use the puff pastry, put some flour down, roll flat + cut/divide into 4 pieces. You may have to wiggle the dough a bit to make bigger depending on the size of your peach.  Transfer pieces to a parchment-lined baking sheet + chill them in the freezer for a couple mins, just to firm them up.
• [Filling] Halve peaches + remove pits.  Scoop out the area around the pit so there is more room for the good stuff.
• [Dumplings] Mix brown sugar, salt, cinnamon + nutmeg in a small dish.  Spoon 1 lightly packed tbsp on top of each peach, smooshing as much mixture as you can into the center.  Dot the top with a piece of the cold butter.  Center each peach half, cut side up, in the pastry square. Bring corners up to meet the center - you may need to adjust so you aren't too tight/short.  Makke sure that the dough underneath is flush with the peach curve; it tends to slack - and seal the seams together, pinching with your fingertips.
• [Bake] Arrange dumplings in a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish, and chill for 30 mins.  Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375*.  
• [Whisk] Whisk egg together with 1 tsp water to form a glaze.  Brush glaze over the tops and exposed sides of dumplings.  Bake for 30-40 mins, until pastries are puffed + bronzed on top.
• [Finish] While baking, make the hard sauce.  Beat softened butter, sugar + bourbon/rum until smooth.  Scrape into a serving dish.  When pastries come out of the oven, dollop each with a heaping spoonful of the hard sauce + serve with sauce melting over the sides.
• [Alternate] If the hard sauce doesn't sound up your alley, ice cream [specifically salted caramel flavor] is seriously good.

EAT!

photos: Robin West

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