Peach Puzzle Recipe

From America’s Test Kitchen: This 1940’s recipe recipe (which won the grand prize in the Cook's Country lost recipe contest) has all the abracadabra of a magic trick as well as beautiful presentation and great taste. Lois says the name refers to the "puzzling" cooking method. Her recipe begins by placing a custard cup upside down in the center of a pie plate. Seven peaches (peeled but still whole) are arranged around the cup and then drizzled with a mixture of brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. A buttery biscuit dough is then domed over the peaches and the custard cup. As the peaches bake under the crust, a vacuum forms inside the custard cup and the juices in the pie plate are pulled up inside the cup. Once cooled, the pie plate is flipped over to reveal the peaches nestled into the flaky biscuit. So where's the butterscotch-like syrup? It's all in the cup! 

"When you pour a spoonful of syrup over the warm peach and it soaks into the biscuit crust, you will think you've died and gone to heaven!"

Ingredients: 

Peaches and syrup:

7 medium peaches, peeled
¾ cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Dough:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
6 tablespoons milk

Directions:

For the peaches and syrup:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a 6-ounce custard cup upside down in the center of a 9-inch pie plate and arrange peaches around the cup. Combine brown sugar, water, butter, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Pour syrup over peaches.


For the dough:

Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor until blended. Add butter and pulse until flour mixture resembles cornmeal. Turn mixture into a medium bowl. Fold the milk into the flour mixture, pressing the mixture against the sides of the bowl to form the dough. Squeeze together and flatten into a disc. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 9-inch circle. Lay dough over the peaches and press dough so it fits snugly around the peaches. Do not attach dough to pie plate. Bake until the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool for 30 minutes.

Place a large plate over the top of the pie plate and invert the puzzle onto the plate. Cut into wedges around each peach and serve, pouring syrup over each portion. Serve as is or with ice cream or whipped cream. 

Assembling Peach Puzzle:

1. Place a custard cup or ramekin upside down in the center of a 9-inch pie plate. Arrange the peeled peaches around the cup.
2. Fit the dough snugly around the peaches without attaching the dough to the pie plate. Bake as directed. Once cooled, quickly invert the puzzle onto a rimmed serving plate.

Notes: It is important to choose peaches that are neither very ripe nor rock-hard — they should give a little when squeezed. Be sure to invert the pie plate quickly to avoid losing any of the syrup. Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Makes 7 servings.

Source: America's Test Kitchen