Cinnamon's August Peach Crisp

Dear Readers,

Work is coming along great on Missing in Christmas River, the ninth book in the Christmas River series. It's been so fun being back in Christmas River, and I can't wait to share this latest installment with you guys. I'm shooting for a September release for it - which should be perfect timing considering the story's plot line.

But, since I've been putting in many long hours lately at the computer, I thought a bit of a break was in order. So last Sunday, I gave myself part of the day off and spent the afternoon in the kitchen - whipping up a delicious peach crisp!

Cinnamon would tell you that nothing beats a perfectly-baked pie. But there's something to be said for the greatness of a crisp, also. Crisps end up being about half the work as a pie, and in my opinion, are equally flavorful. With a juicy fruit filling and a buttery, crunchy topping, it's hard to go wrong. This recipe is for a peach crisp - the absolute perfect dessert for an August evening. It's so flavorful and delicious, I think it's got even Cinnamon convinced!

 August Peach Crisp

(Makes one 9 x 13 casserole dish of crisp)

Filling
6 large, ripe peaches (cut into medium-sized chunks)
1/2 a large lemon, juiced and zested
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 tsp bourbon

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Toss peach chunks (no need to peel peaches) with lemon juice and lemon zest. Add flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix to combine, then mix in bourbon. Taste to check on sweet/sour ratio and add more sugar or more lemon juice if necessary. Set aside. 

Topping

1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 1/4 sticks of cold, unsalted butter

Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, sugar, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Cut butter into small chunks and cut into mixture until the pieces become pebble-sized and small. Sprinkle mixture over fruit filling until completely covered. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes - until the top turns golden and the fruit filing starts bubbling up at the sides. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. 

Enjoy on a beautiful August evening!

Hope all of you have a great month! I'll be posting more updates about the latest Christmas River book soon, so stay tuned!

MM

Cinnamon's Marionberry Pie

There’s nothing quite like August in Oregon. The days are long, the wildflowers abundant, and the mountains, valleys, rivers, and coastline never more beautiful than in the slanted orange glow of an August sunset.

And for Cinnamon Peters, the pie-baking heroine of The Christmas River series, August means one other thing: marionberry pie.

Sweet, plump, juicy, and utterly delicious, fresh marionberries can be found at roadside fruit stands all over Oregon this time of year. To celebrate the season, here’s Cinnamon’s good old standby recipe for marionberry pie. Don’t be fooled by its simplicity: with berries so flavorful, the filling needs nothing more than a little sugar and cornstarch to make the flavor really pop! Also, don't be afraid of using the tequila in the pie crust: it's a secret ingredient to make the pie crust extremely flaky and delicious. Just make sure it's extra cold!

Cinnamon’s Marionberry Pie

Filling:

6 cups of frozen marionberries, thawed (I used frozen for this recipe as fresh marionberries are just about impossible to find outside of Oregon because they are highly perishable.)

1/4 cup of cornstarch

1 cup sugar

Dash of cinnamon

 1. Mix together the thawed berries, cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Crust:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbs sugar

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter (cut into chunks)

1/2 cup chilled vegetable shortening (cut into chunks)

1/4 cup of cold tequila (secret ingredient!)

1/4 cup of cold of water

1 egg

1. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in large bowl. Add butter and vegetable shortening and cut into flour mixture with a pastry cutter. When mixture becomes pebbly, sprinkle cold tequila (make sure it's very cold) and cold water over mixture. Gently work in until dough comes together. Split dough into two even rounds and flatten into discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes. 

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out one disc of pie dough and press into pie dish. Refrigerate crust for ten minutes, then bake crust for ten minutes in oven (refrigerating the crust beforehand ensures that it won't lose its shape during baking.)

3. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Add marionberry filling. Roll out second disc of dough and cut lattice strips from it, or, if you're feeling more playful, use cookie cutters to create a fun topping (Cinnamon likes squirrel cookie shapes in particular.) Place shapes on top of pie. Crack egg and whisk it together in a small bowl. Wash egg over crust and pie top. Sprinkle with extra sugar. 

4. Bake pie at 375 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes, until the filling bubbles and the crust is golden brown. I like to place the pie dish on a cookie sheet in case anything bubbles over. If the crust edge starts turning dark, cover with foil. 

5. When ready, remove pie from oven. Let cool for at least three hours. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream. Best enjoyed with an August sunset and good friends!