Drunken Peach Crisp

There’s no need for a calendar to know when Colorado summer is headed to a close. The weather remains hot through August but just as the school supplies hit the shelves stands will start popping up all over town selling the the freshest and sweetest peaches you’ve ever tasted. 

The western slope of Colorado, specifically Palisade, is known for hundreds of acres of farm land and home to Rocky Ford Cantaloupe, Pueblo Hatch Chilies and the star of today’s recipe, Palisade Peaches. The roadside stands are the best place to snag some low cost peaches in quantities that the average family can’t possible consume before they go bad, but local stores will also stock the fruit with a small mark-up in exchange for not requiring a full bushel with each purchase.

I love peach season and picking up a pound or two of peaches is one of my favorite ways to decorate the table for a week or two. This delicious drunken peach crisp recipe brings out the flavors of the ingredients and really showcases the sweetness of fall peaches against the tart bite of the bourbon.

Drunken Peach Crisp

Ingredients
1.5 lbs of Peaches – 5-6 peaches total
2 oz Bourbon
1 tbs vanilla
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1/8 cup flaxseed

1. Remove the skin from the peaches. You could use a paring knife or peeler, but I recommend tossing your peaches in a pot of boiling water for 10-15 seconds. Transfer from the hot water into an ice bath and the skin will slide off the fruit.

 

2. Cut the peaches in 1/8th slices and remove the pit.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the peaches, bourbon, vanilla and white sugar. Mix them together so the liquids coat the peaches fully and leave it to sit in the refrigerator for 1-6 hours.

4. When you are ready to finish the recipe, strain the peaches out of the sauce. This is now a peach infused bourbon that would be perfect for drizzling over ice-cream or mixing into a cocktail. Place the peaches in the bottom of a glass dish (8×8 would work).

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. In a second bowl, cut the butter into the brown sugar. I tried to do this with a potato masher because we don’t have a pastry cutter but that plan didn’t actually work. Add the flour, oats and flax seed and mix until everything is combined.

7. Cover the top of the peach mixture with the crumble. you don’t want to pack it down tightly, just spread the crumble on the top and fill in all the holes so you can not see the peaches underneath.

8. Place in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the crumble is lightly browned.

9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes (enough time that its still warm but not molten lava). Serve alone, or with vanilla ice-cream.