peachy keen

baking. that's a word that i love the sound of.

when i hear it, i smell the sweetness of delectable desserts, and the comforting aroma of freshly baked bread. i think back to the many years of helping my mom with coffee cakes, amish friendship and banana breads, pan de sal, christmas cookies - the list goes on and on. i love to bake, and hope that what i lack in cooking, i make up for in this department.

sadly, since we've moved, i have done absolutely none of it. perhaps its because i'm still adjusting to my crazy travel schedule, or because the weather has been too warm. more likely, though, its because the one box that was lost somewhere in the 2000 miles between illinois and california was the one with all my pans, cooling racks, mixing bowls and other baking necessities.

when we were invited to dinner at my cousin's home in napa this past sunday, i found myself jumping at the opportunity to break the nasty no-baking streak, and excited to try my hand at a new recipe. this one was perfect for the in-between season we find here in late september. it contains peaches and raspberries reminiscent of the summer sun under a warm crisp that promises to draw you in from light chill of early autumn evenings.

i thought i'd share it with you foodies out there - aren't you proud of the use i've gotten out of my very first cookbook, signed by the contessa herself?

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ina's peach and raspberry crisp

4 to 5 pounds firm, ripe peaches
zest of 1 orange
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 pint raspberries
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

immerse peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds, then place them in cold water. peal and then slice peaches into large wedges and place in a large bowl. add orange zest [i admit that i had no fresh oranges, so i used some juice instead], 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. toss well and gently mix in the raspberries. allow to sit for 5 minutes, and add 1 more tablespoon of flour of there is a lot of liquid. pour peaches into a buttered 10 x 15 x 2 1/2 inch oval baking dish.

combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, oatmeal and the cold, diced butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. mix on low speed until the butter is pea-sized and the mixture is crumbly. sprinkle evenly on top of the peaches and raspberries. bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 1 hour, until the top is browned and crisp, and the juices bubbly.

serve immediately, or reheat in the oven just before serving, as we did. vanilla ice cream was the perfect topping for this treat!