Peach Kuchen

Last week I spent some time with my parents, since I was trying to avoid the craziness of my home renovations. On Wednesday I went to PA with my parents and a friend. We lived large in York, PA. First we hit a discount department store, then we ate at Five Guys, and before we left town we stopped at not one but TWO farmer's markets. We came home with apples, nectarines, and tons of peaches.

My mom and I decided to make a peach kuchen, which is something my mom used to make years ago during the summer. It was delicious. I invited my aunt over to try the peach kuchen. At first glance, she told my mom she had never tried it before, but once she had her first bite the memories came rushing back. She told my mom that she could remember her making it and she recognized the taste. Dana described the peach kuchen on my Facebook page: "The peach kuchen was wonderful. Flaky pastry, creamy custard and sliced peaches. Tasted like summer on a fork!" Now, doesn't that make you want to go and make some peach kuchen for yourself? It doesn't get much better than summer on a fork!

Recipe for Peach Kuchen

INGREDIENTS:
For the crust:
1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. of salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 8 pieces
2 Tbsp. of sour cream
For the custard filling:
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup of sour cream
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. of salt
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
4 ripe medium-sized peaches - peeled, pitted, and cut into thick slices

DIRECTIONS:
For the crust:
Put the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse briefly to just combine. Scatter the butter pieces evenly in the flour mixture. Pulse several times until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add in the sour cream and turn on the food processor; mix until a ball forms. Carefully take the dough out of the food processor. Shape it into a flat disc and then place the dough in a 9" removable tart pan. Press the dough evenly on the bottom of the pan and on the sides of the pan.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While oven is preheating, rinse and dry the bowl of the food processor. Bake the crust at 375 in the center rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pan after 20 minutes and transfer it to a cooling rack. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
For the custard filling:
While the crust is cooling, put the egg yolks, sour cream, sugar, salt, and flour in the bowl of the food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse for several seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pulse for about 10 - 15 more seconds. Pour 1/2 of the custard filling mixture over the cooled crust. Put the peach slices over the crust. Start on the outside and work your way in to the center, slightly overlapping the peaches as needed. Pour the rest of the custard filling mixture evenly over the peaches. Cover the outside edges of the tart pan with foil to avoid the edges of the crust from burning. Bake for about 50 - 55 minutes, or until the top is set and no longer runny. Serve the kuchen warmed or at room temperature. No need to top with any extras - it's perfect as it is! Enjoy.

Source: The Pleasures of Cooking 

NOTE: My mom taught me something new while we were making the peach kuchen. You can easily peel the peaches if you blanch them first. To blanch the peaches, bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the peaches in the boiling water, make sure they are submerged, and boil for 40 seconds . Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and let cool for about one minute. Pat the peaches dry with a paper towel. Now the peaches should much easier to peel!

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