Cereal, specifically original Cheerios, topped with wedges of a juicy, ripe local peach, and a modest amount of ice-cold milk, has been my favorite summer breakfast since kindergarten. For many years, those peaches came from my grandmother’s trees.
Now summer vacation plans center on the Michigan peach season. My granddaughters know to slice their peaches over the cereal bowl to capture every bit of juice. They also find the cherry pitter and add cherries to their bowls. The cherries they happily pit for me are destined for ice cream sauce or buttermilk pancakes.
When company comes, we fuss a bit more over breakfast, slicing ripe peaches into a skillet of butter for an oven-baked pancake. Handfuls of local blueberries dot the fluffy batter too.
To keep mornings simpler, make the pancake batter the night before and refrigerate it. This batter resting hack also makes the pancake more tender. Remove the batter from the fridge to rest while the oven heats.
For easier peeling, dunk the peaches in boiling water for a few seconds so the skin slips off easily. Skip this step if you don’t mind bits of skin in the pancake.
Briefly saute the peach slices in butter in a deep, oven-proof cast-iron or nonstick skillet. Then pour the batter into the hot pan and bake. To gild the lily, serve pancake wedges with a dollop of vanilla yogurt and/or a drizzle of pure maple syrup.
For the cherry sauce, the cherry pitter by Oxo Good Grips makes quick work of dispatching the pits. Wear an apron to guard against juice splatters. Then use a small knife to cut the cherries in half. Ripe cherries need only a brief cook to turn them into a chunky sauce suitable for breakfasts and desserts. A sprinkle of crystallized ginger and orange rind complements the fruit flavor.
Remember: Never refrigerate peaches until they are ripe! Test for ripeness by pressing gently with a finger—the fruit should give just a little. Once ripe, refrigerate the peaches in a single layer for up to several days.
Baked Peach-Blueberry Pancake
Serves 6
Note: Always measure your skillets across the top for the accurate diameter.
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 large ripe-but-firm peaches or nectarines, about 1 1/2 pounds
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) fresh blueberries, stemmed, rinsed
1/4 cup each granulated sugar, packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Chunky Cherry Ginger Sauce, for serving (see recipe)
Vanilla yogurt, for serving
Pure maple syrup, for serving
Put the milk and eggs into a blender and blend to mix. Add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and blend briefly to moisten the flour. Do not over mix. Refrigerate covered up to overnight.
Heat a deep saucepan of water to a boil. Add one or two peaches so they are completely submerged in the water. Leave peaches in the water until the skin peels easily, about 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to cool on a cutting board. Repeat with remaining peaches.
When peaches are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to peel the peaches. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, use the paring knife to cut the peaches into 1/2-inch-wide slices and let them drop into the bowl. You should have about 4 cups sliced peaches.
Add blueberries, sugars, cornstarch, and vanilla. Mix and let stand, stirring gently once or twice, until sugar dissolves, about 10 minutes. .
Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees F. Have a large (10-inch) ovenproof skillet (such as nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron) ready.
Heat the skillet over medium heat until hot. Add butter and when melted, add peach mixture. Cook and stir until the sugar and peach juices are a clear, thickish syrup, 2 to 4 minutes.
Turn off the heat under skillet. Spread peach mixture in an even layer. Slowly pour the batter from the blender jar over the fruit. Do not stir.
Immediately place the pan into the hot oven. Bake until pancake is puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. The pancake will deflate as it cools so serve immediately. (You can leave it in the turned off oven for a few minutes.)
To serve, cut into large wedges. Top with cherry ginger sauce, yogurt, and/or maple syrup if desired.
Chunky Cherry Ginger Sauce
Makes about 2 cups
Note: This recipe doubles easily. A cherry pitter speeds up the preparation time. Serve the sauce over pancakes, waffles and ice cream.
About 1 1/2 pounds sweet cherries, pitted, halved, about 4 cups
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 or 2 teaspoons finely chopped crystallized ginger, to taste
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
Put cherry halves and sugar into a medium-size saucepan. Let stand 15 minutes to allow the sugar to draw juices out of cherries. Meanwhile, dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water.
Set the pan with the cherries over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until cherries are soft and sugar is completely dissolved, about 6 minutes. Stir in dissolved cornstarch, ginger, and salt. Cook and stir until juices are clear and thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange rind.
Cool. Store in covered jars in the refrigerator for several days. Use at room temperature.
