Skip to main content

Peach Cream Cheese Pie


(Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982, pg. 255). Also included in  Maida Heatter's Pies & Tarts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg.72).

My mother used to make a store-bought cheesecake with cherries that came in a box and we all loved it. This reminds me of it. It is delicious and addictive. It is very sweet though and I think I would reduce the sugar a bit the next time.

I actually made Maida's crumb crust this time and it turned out nicely. You can use a store-bought crust or use another crumb recipe that isn't as involved as Maida's.

I used frozen peaches and drained them. The recipe actually calls for fresh peaches.


1 9-inch baked crumb crust
12 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream, sour cream or Creme Fraiche
2 eggs

Topping

About 3 large, freestone peaches
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/4 teaspoon almond extract


Have the pie shell ready and waiting in the freezer before you begin.

Position the oven rack one-third from the bottom and preheat to 350.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and sugar and beat until mixed.



Beat in the cream and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. (Do not beat more than necessary after adding the eggs; it should not be airy).




Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let stand until cool. Refrigerate an hour or overnight.



Peach Topping

If using fresh peaches, peel them and place them in a bowl of water with some lemon juice. If using frozen peaches, unthaw and drain the excess liquid.

Place the preserves in a small pan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they come to a boil. Simmer for a minute, then force them through a strainer. Stir in the almond extract.



Bush a thin layer of the preserves over the top of the pie. (Save some of the preserves to brush the peaches).



Drain the peaches, cut in half, removing the pit, and then cut each half into about six lenghtwise slices. Drain the slices on a towel. Arrange over the top of the pie, slightly overlapping.



Brush the remaining preserves over the peaches.

Refrigerate.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints

Palm Beach Brownies with Chocolate Covered Mints Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. viii. I made these brownies again a few days ago and they were just as good as ever. This time I made half with York Peppermint Patties and the other half with Andes mints. There wasn't a noticeable difference in taste. The ones with the Andes mints were pretty with the mint green color but the ones with Yorks are equally pretty. When Maida Heatter's first book (the above-mentioned title) won the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame Award in 1998, she accepted her award on stage and began to toss out these brownies to the audience. Everybody clamored for one and went wild. The original recipe came from a local deli in her area and did not include the mints (that recipe is available in the first edition of this book). She tinkered with the recipe and added the mints which do not melt during baking. I've been itching to ...
9 comments
Read more

Mulattoes

Mulattoes Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.) , pg. 199. Of the hundreds of Maida Heatter cookie recipes, this may be the most famous. These are chunky but soft, extremely chocolaty,  full of nuts and chocolate chips. Sinfully delicious! They are easy to make. The trickiest part may be the baking time. After making them numerous times, I have learned to only bake them 10 or 11 minutes at the most, then remove them and allow them to sit on the hot baking pan for about 5 minutes. They will be extremely soft to the touch but eventually they firm up nicely.  I just use my hand mixer for these. Although the recipe states that it makes 18 large cookies, I find that the yield is slightly higher, even when making them fairly large. I use a tablespoon scoop to form the cookies. 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 3 oz. (3/4 stick) butter 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking pow...
12 comments
Read more

Frozen Chocolate Mousse

Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.) , pg. 228. Here is a dessert sure to make any chocoholic swoon. Silky and decadent, this frozen mousse is like a rich chocolate ice cream. It is really easy to make - all the folding required will give you a workout but it is worth it! The crust can be made with crushed wafer cookies or you could even buy a ready-made crust. If doing your own, the instructions say to apply the crumbs around the sides of the pan (use a springform pan) but I did not do this - I just made a bottom layer. You will have to run a sharp knife around the pan before releasing the catch on the pan. The mousse is soft (even after freezing) and it will need to be put back in the freezer as soon as possible after serving. Maida Heatter recommends covering the mousse with either whipped cream, strawberries or chocolate leaves. I did not do either, it looks lovely without a topping. Crust 8 oz. choc...
5 comments
Read more