Northern Virginia’s peaches are ripe for picking for a few more weeks. Across the region, there are farms and orchards where you can pick your own and join celebrations dedicated to the fuzzy fruit.
Once you’ve gathered your harvest, transform your freshly plucked produce into a delicious dessert by Trummer’s pastry chef Amanda Siever or tasty salad by Härth chef Laurent Hollaender.
Bourbon Peach Streusel Cheesecake
What You’ll Need
Streusel
- 2 1/2 sticks butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Pecan Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup ground pecans
- 1 1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- Salt (just a pinch)
Bourbon Peach Filling
- 6 peaches
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup bourbon
Cheesecake
- 32 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 9-inch springform cake pan
- Cake pan
- Sheet tray
How to Make it
Streusel
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Use a mixer with a paddle attachment to combine butter, light brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add rolled oats and all-purpose flour, and stir by hand to combine. Spread half of the streusel mixture on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture is lightly brown. Set the remaining half of the streusel mixture aside. Do not turn the oven off.
Pecan Graham Cracker Crust
In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, ground pecans, granulated sugar, melted butter, ground ginger, and salt. Spray a 9-inch springform cake pan with cooking spray, and line pan with parchment paper. Press the mixture into the prepared cake pan to form a crust. Bake at 300 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is lightly brown. Do not turn the oven off.
Bourbon Peach Filling
Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Remove pits from peaches, and cut peaches into thick slices. In a bowl, combine peach slices, melted butter, brown sugar, bourbon, and cinnamon. Spray a cake pan with cooking spray, and add peach mixture to pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove peach mixture from oven, let cool, and set aside.
Cheesecake
Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees. Use a mixer with a paddle attachment to combine cream cheese, granulated sugar, and cornstarch until the mixture is smooth. Add whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, one at a time, mixing to combine and stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add sour cream, and stir in by hand.
Spoon half of the cheesecake batter into springform cake pan with the crust. Pour half of the baked bourbon peach filling on top of the cheesecake batter, and sprinkle with unbaked streusel mixture. Pour remaining half of cheesecake batter on top of unbaked streusel.
Pour water in a roasting pan until water reaches halfway up sides of pan. Place roasting pan with water on bottom rack in oven. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet, and place baking sheet on middle rack in oven. Bake cheesecake at 250 degrees for 1 hour or until the cheesecake slightly jiggles like Jell-O.
When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven, and open the oven door a crack, leaving the cheesecake inside the oven for 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven, and let stand at room temperature for 30 more minutes. Place cooled cheesecake in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
Once the cheesecake is cool, pour the remaining half of the bourbon peach filling on top, sprinkle with the baked streusel, and enjoy.
Grilled Peach Salad
What You’ll Need
Vinaigrette
- 1 peach
- 1 1/2 ounces whole grain Dijon mustard
- 5 ounces sherry vinegar
- 4 ounces fig spread
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups blended oil
Grilled Peach Salad
- 1 peach
- 1/2 ounce quality honey
- 4 ounces organic spring mix lettuce
- 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese
- 8 cornbread croutons
- 6 raspberries
- 1 ounce toasted pecans
How to Make It
Peach, Fig, & Sherry Vinaigrette
Peel one peach and remove the pit. Cut into slices and blend in a food processor until smooth. Place peach puree, mustard, sherry vinegar, fig spread, and salt in a blender and slowly emulsify on medium speed, gradually adding the oil until all the ingredients are combined.
Grilled Peach Salad
Remove the pit from the peach. Cut the peach in half and slice each half into 3 wedges. Brush each slice with honey and place on a hot grill. Carefully grill mark the peach wedges and remove from heat.
Dress the lettuce with the vinaigrette, and place in a salad bowl or on a plate. Top with goat cheese, croutons, raspberries, and pecans. Finish the salad by placing the grilled peaches on top and around the dish.
Feature image of Bourbon Peach Streusel Cheesecake courtesy Trummer’s
This story originally ran in our August issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
