WHITE PEACHES WRAPPED IN CREAM BISCUITS

makes 6         

(Inspired by The Farm Journal, Paul Prudhomme and Marion Cunningham)

For the biscuit dough (from Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 to 1½ cups heavy cream

egg wash made from one egg yolk and 2 tablespoons heavy cream
coarse sugar for sprinkling

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and orange zest. Gradually add 1 cup of cream to the dry ingredients, using a fork to stir the mixture into a soft dough. If it feels dry, add enough additional cream to make the dough hold together.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment and gently roll the biscuit dough into an ⅛” thickness. Cut out six 6” circles (you may have to patch the dough here and there to squeeze out six circles) and chill while preparing the peaches. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

A note about the peaches…

White peaches tend to be less fuzzy than their yellow counterparts. You can make these without peeling if you don’t mind eating the skin. Peeled peaches are slippery making it a bit trickier (but certainly do-able) to maneuver the dough around the fruit. Either way, seek out freestone. Peel (or not) the peaches, halve them from stem to stern and give them a gentle twist. If they are stubborn, use a small paring knife to carefully ease them apart. (White peaches are delicate creatures and tend to bruise easily.) You can also use the knife to help release the pit from the fruit, if need be.

6 small freestone white peaches, peeled, halved and pitted
⅛ cup brown sugar combined with 1 tablespoon of finely diced candied ginger

Place 1/2 teaspoon of the brown sugar/candied ginger mixture in the cavity of each peach half. Place the two halves back together and stand one peach in the center of one circle of dough. Bring the sides up and around the peach, wrapping it completely and pressing the edges together to seal. Set each dough-wrapped peach into a greased muffin tin. Brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Poke the top of the pastry with a fork or a knife to allow steam to escape. Set the muffin tin on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the middle of a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. The peach should test done with the tip of a knife and the pastry should be golden. Delicious served with heavy pouring cream. Whipped cream isn’t half bad, either.