Ginger Peach Pandowdy
Aug 4th, 2009 by Marilyn
“Ginger Peach Pan-what?” Josie was howling. “You’re doing something called Ginger Peach Pandowdy?” Why yes. Yes I am. And then my daughter fell off the chair laughing. And then from the floor, faux-hillbilly. “Paaaan-dowdy!”
Very funny. Yes, it’s called Pandowdy, and yes, Ginger Peach sounds like she’s waiting tables at Dollywood, and yes, it’s the best dessert I’ve eaten all summer. We’ll make it – but first, let me tell you about that tomato up there, and what it’s got to do with Ginger.
The wonderful Margaret Roach, she of A Way to Garden and The Sister Project, invited me to participate in Summer Fest 2009. The Fest is a regular cross-blogging party: every week a new food-from-the-garden theme gets turned over to several stellar bloggers, including Margaret, Matt Armendariz of Mattbites, Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen, and Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple. Also popping up: Shauna and Daniel Ahern from Gluten-Free Girl, Paige Smith Orloff of The Sister Project, and, for the love of pie crust, me.
And also you! Summer Fest is a great way to find new blogs, get new ideas and contribute a few of your own.
Summer Fest 2009
Tuesday, July 28: HERBS
Tuesday, August 4: FRUITS from TREES
Visit all of these terrific bloggers for amazing recipes, gorgeous photos, funny stories, and to share your own tips!
- Margaret Roach @ A Way to Garden: Peach Clafoutis
- Paige Smith Orloff @ The Sister Project: Plum Tarte Tatin
- Jaden Hair @ Steamy Kitchen: Chanterelle, Bacon and Plum Salad with Blue Cheese
- Diane & Todd @ White on Rice Couple: Refreshing Peach Coolers
- Matt Armendariz @ Mattbites: Apricot Ice Cream
Tuesday, August 11: BEANS-AND-GREENS WEEK (either or both, your choice).
Tuesday, August 18: TOMATO WEEK
Hopscotch around these great blogs, find what you like and please leave something to share, like recipes, links or tips. Do you have great tomato plants, a super apricot dessert? Introduce yourself, and comment away. If you’ve got a blog, grab the juicy red Summer Fest badge (created by Matt) and create a post of your own. You can swing by every breezy, delicious week – it’s summer. It’s a Fest. And all are welcome.
Now let’s return to our heroine, Ginger Peach. For my Fest guest spot this week, we’re making Ginger Peach Pandowdy, and we already know that it’s hilarious, a distinct cross between long-legged Daisy Duke and pale old Aunt Em. Oh, Auntie Em. When you live in Kansas, there’s no escaping the Oz talk. Not here, of course – I mean the Oz talk you get in line at JFK, or at a party in Santa Monica, or on a boat down the Amazon, for that matter. A rainforest tribesman raised without film will hear you are from Kansas, and immediately thump his stick and say, “Dorothy! And Toto too.”
Of course, I moved here from Chicago and Greg hails from suburban Kansas City, suburbs like any other. Then there’s our university town, Lawrence, full of artisan ales and sushi, scholars and lawyers and Kobe burgers. What I’m saying is, that’s what’s the matter with Kansas. You can love the place – we do – but still be on the defensive, for the rest of your sensible Midwestern life. You will, at any given point, be confronted by a guffawing conventioneer on one coast or another, slapping you on the back and demanding your ruby slippers. C’est la vie Kansan.
And I’m sharing this because? Well, I’d originally planned a different dessert, Ginger-Peach Empanadas, but then my mother called, and Josie required a chauffeur, and then a house fell on my head and there were little people. No, it did not work out at all. But I did salvage the peaches and the dough, and used them to make something else. I must say it was a masterful repurposing, in line with my beloved chef-mentor’s mantra, “We don’t eat our mistakes. We fix them.” I loved this ginger-kissed bottomless pie, and suddenly full of can-do spirit, I could see a joyful, philosophical post about beating obstacles and finding silver linings. I happily photographed the dish, sugared and sparkling, but as I breathed in peachy steam through the lens, I realized what I’d baked: a Pandowdy.
Now, there are cobblers, crisps, Bettys, buckles, grunts and even slumps – and then, there is the truly old-fashioned Pandowdy: a dessert of fresh fruit baked under pie crust shapes. But. But, Pandowdy did not sound like Ginger-Peach Empanadas. “Can’t it be a cobbler?” asked Josie. “No,” I told her, with a heavy blogger’s heart, “it’s a Pandowdy.”
Of course Pandowdy is fine, if you’re at a Manhattan table and charging seventeen dollars a plate. Quite droll, even. But if you’re a Kansas baker, Pandowdy will read Pan-Dowdy, thus confirming the notion that we’re all ringing dinner bells in gingham. Still, no matter. We accept the names of things and look for what lies beneath, striving to never judge dessert by its topping. Besides, that Ginger Peach is a swell girl, not dowdy at all, and proud to be who she is – homey, sweet, a few piercings, and more than a little bit spicy.
GINGER PEACH PANDOWDY
Pie Dough
3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
4 oz (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut in chunks
4 oz shortening, cold, in chunks
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, cold
4 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed
To make dough by hand: Stir flour, salt and powdered ginger together in large bowl. Scatter butter and shortening chunks over flour mixture. Using pastry blender or two knives, “cut” the butter/shortening into the flour, crumbling with hands as necessary, until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle sugar over mixture and stir in quickly. Blend egg yolks and water in small bowl, then pour over flour mixture. Combine everything (using hands) to make a smooth, firm dough. If dough seems dry, add ice water in drops, mixing to combine. Turn out dough onto parchment, wax paper or lightly floured surface, pressing to form a smooth, flat round. Cut dough in half, wrap each half, and chill until ready to use.
To make dough in food processor: Place flour, salt and powdered ginger in work bowl of processor fitted with steel blade. Pulse a few times just to combine. Add butter/shortening chunks over flour and process, using on-off pulses, until fat is reduced to large flakes. Sprinkle with sugar, and pulse 1-2 seconds to blend. Beat egg yolk and ice water in small bowl, then pour over flour mixture. Pulse mixture to combine, using on-off pulses, just until a rough dough begins to come together. If dough seems too dry, add extra drops of water and pulse just until dough combines. Turn out dough onto parchment, wax paper or lightly floured surface, pressing to form a smooth, flat round. Cut dough in half, wrap each half, and chill until ready to use.
Ginger Peach Filling
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch sea salt
7 large peaches, peeled, pitted, cubed and tossed with 2 teaspoons lemon juice
finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
1/2 cup (approx. 3 oz.) crystallized ginger, chopped in small dice
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk or half-and-half
1 tablespoon water
Demerara (turbinado, raw cane) sugar for sprinkling (or granulated)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Whisk together cornstarch, granulated sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and sea salt in large bowl. Add the peaches, lemon zest, crystallized ginger and vanilla, and toss well to combine. Pour filling into deep oval or rectangular baking dish, and set aside while you roll pie dough. (A lower, wider rectangular dish, like a 9 x 13 pan, will work but will result in a shorter layer of fruit.)
Assemble and bake pandowdy:
Roll out both chilled dough halves on a lightly floured surface, 1/4 – 1/2″ thick. Using a 2 – 3″ round cookie cutter, stamp circles from dough, gathering scraps and re-rolling until done. Set aside a small amount of dough for fluted rim and top decorations, if desired.
Now, starting on one side of peach-filled baking dish, top fruit with rows of dough circles, overlapping to form a “fish scale” pattern. Repeat until all fruit is is covered, pinching edges to sides of dish.
Fluted rim and decorations, optional: using both hands, roll reserved pie dough into long rope pieces. Press ropes around top edges of dish, pinching to join with dough circles. When finished, pinch rope edge down so that short triangles stick up, working around rim until done. Decorations: roll and cut “peach,” leaf or heart shapes, as desired. Brush back of decorations with water, and arrange atop dough circles.
Mix milk (or half-and-half) with water in small dish, then brush mixture over top of pandowdy. Sprinkle liberally with demerara (or granulated) sugar.
Place baking dish on cookie sheet (to catch drips) and bake in center of preheated oven for 20 – 30 minutes, until top crust browns and fruit juices bubble through. Serve warm, with ice cream.
I’m so pleased that I ran into the Summer Fest blog on the White on Rice Couple’s blog – I’ve found you through the link and just loving the whole blogging community. Your blog is gorgeous! And the pandowdy looks amazing. Such an interesting idea for topping a pie. I’ve done a post too for this weeks and now on to thinking about what to do for next week’s! http://www.rosylipsandlavender.com/2009/08/summer-fest-spiced-red-plum-ginger-and.html
See you then, Rosy x
Yep, that’s it. I’m making this and when it comes out of the oven I shall wear gingham and ring a bell. I sure will.
Oh, by the way, I”m rapping and making ice cream this week. It’s not pretty.
http://mattbites.com/2009/08/04/summer-fest-week-2-fruits-from-trees/
Oh jeez that’s so pretty! You think a novice baker like me could make one too? Calling it a pandowdy makes it sound so much more fun and easy!
I hear you – in our house we eat mistakes too, although that doesn’t look like too big of a hardship in this case! I love ginger in just about anything and in a pie…..how could that not be good?
Here’s my entry for this week:
http://tnlocavore.typepad.com/tennessee_locavore/2009/08/drowning-in-peaches-what-a-wonderful-problem-to-have.html
It combines two southern specialties – peaches and cornbread!
I adore the combination of peach and ginger. It’s one of those matches that I never tire of.
I’ve heard of pandowdy from a song — shoo fly pie and apple pandowdy, makes your eyes light up and your stomach say ‘howdy’ — and now I know what it is. Looks lovely.
Great photos, too!
Simply beautiful dessert! I’m in awe of what you’ve created with these luscious peaches and pie crust.
“We don’t eat our mistakes. We fix them.” I love that and think I am now adopting it as my life motto. I also love pandowdy, which Grandma Marion made eons ago, when I was a kid, from apples. I am digging out the recipe to compare.
You are a peach (sorry) to collaborate with all of us on this week of Summer Fest; a real baker in the mix (instead of me with my aversion to the moment to making crusts). xoxoxoxo
Oh, I love the story here, and really the phrase “Ginger Peach Pandowdy” (what a great word, pandowdy), and also that little dough-leaf on the top there.
I cheated a bit on my post for this week, but it’s here at: http://jekyllian.blogspot.com/2009/08/fruits-failures.html
(Also a little about mistakes, or at least learning from failure!)
This is genius! I’ve got some left over pie crust in the freezer…not enough for a pie but just right for a pandowdy I think. And as I live in New York, I guess I can go out and charge $17 for it, even while ringing a dinner bell while wearing gingham. My mother spent a fair bit of her childhood in Kansas by the way, but in the city of Sunflower, so you certainly can’t have it any worse than her in the “you must be a hick department” if it makes you feel any better!
Isn’t that just the cutest little cut-out of a peach to top your ginger peach pandowdy? You are so clever! I love ginger peach iced tea, so I bet I’m going to love this. Your photos are gorgeous, too.
Lost my AC this weekend, so behind on my Summer Fest week 2 entry. I’m subbing my earlier stone fruit post on cherries (which you’ve already seen.)
http://penandfork.wordpress.com/2009/06/10/now-and-later-cherries/
Love the fun name for this delicious looking dessert. I also this is great how you were able to re-purpose your empanadas ingredients into something so great. It’s my favorite kind of cooking when you ahve to think on your feet and make it work.
My entry from this weeks Summer Fest is a light and refreshing peach & Radish salsa
http://piccantedolce.blogspot.com/2009/08/peach-radish-salsa.html
Anything with stone fruits and crust is my idea of heaven in the summer! This looks wonderful.
Looks yummy! Lovely writing again, Marilyn.
We made Peaches and Berries Flambe with rum and served it with vanilla bean ice cream! Thanks for a great idea to share these recipes!
Love the combination of ginger and peach, I will have to give it a try. I had a hard time picking a post for this summer fest, I use a lot of fruit. I was going to share cherry rhubarb skillet pie, but I think the hot weather we’re having calls for some sweet and tangy cherry limeade.
http://dianasaurdishes.com/07/refreshing-cherry-limeade-and-tastecasting-seattle/
Loving SummerFest!
This is absolutely gorgeous – I love the little peach dough cutout.
Charmian Christie and I swapped peach posts for Summer Fest – check out her post on homemade peach ice cream on Wasabimon here:
http://www.wasabimon.com/archive/homemade-peach-ice-cream-recipe/
And my post on making peach freezer jam on Christie’s Corner here:
http://christie-corner.blogspot.com/2009/08/summer-fest-and-peach-freezer-jam.html
Enjoy!
This brings back great memories as a child in Ireland. My neighbour used to make fresh apple and rhubarb tarts with a similar crust and bring us a fresh out of the oven pie. Soooo good. This looks really appetizing.
I got some amazing pluots, plums and cherries in the farmers market and ended up doing this with them
http://thehealthyirishman.com/2009/08/pecan-crusted-turkey-with-cherry-pluot-compote/
Thanks
I will make anything with crystallized ginger in it. Sounds heavenly with peaches (and pandowdy)!
Wow at the linkage on all the comments. So many places to go, such little time.
This GA girl loves peaches and if it is as yummy as your peach pecan recipe, it will be added to my favs list.
Maybe next year my little peach tree will produce.
Jenni, you’re right – so many good-looking links here. Hope you have your own peaches next year.
If you are new to Simmer: welcome, and glad you came by for the wonderful cross-blogging Summer Fest. Hope you find the Pandowdy peachy, the company congenial and that you stick around for seconds. Thanks!
Over the top!!! I am so impressed! I love the filling and then the crust decor is just perfect!!!
Don’t you know? Gingham is the new chic (and I live in LA so I know chic). And ginger peach? Nothing short of fabulous, pandowdy or no. This is lovely.
I’m so sad to be seeing this just before leaving my own kitchen for 2 weeks. I might just have to do a (*shudder*) dorm-kitchen experiment. I mean, otherwise I could miss peach season! And what kind of tragedy would THAT be?!?
Ginger and peaches just go together! I think the Pandowdy deserves a revival – the best part of a crust is the crunchy part.
For my entry into SummerFest I recounted the PeachFest celebration my mother and I conducted with a day long canning extravaganza. You can read about it and see the results here: http://robbingpeter.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/summerfest-peachfest/
Can’t wait for next month.
OK, I’m fudging a bit on the tree fruit theme, but it’s the height of blueberry season in Michigan and I make a blueberry tart with lime curd and a gingersnap crust:
http://www.rustickitchen.com/blog/?p=202
Though I’ve never tried a pandowdy before, yours looks beautiful and tasty. The ginger peach sounds great!
Justine
Oh Marilyn, this looks just amazing! What a gorgeous dessert to spread the love of summer and stone fruits! Your step by step pictures has our stomachs growling every step of the way. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
There is nothing dowdy about that dessert, You certainly flipped that flop. Who’d want epanadas if they could have that? Not me, that’s who! Gorgeous!
Well, as a fellow Kansan, I can relate to the type of comments you’re describing…I guess it’s inevitable! I haven’t worn gingham in some time but I DO have peaches on hand, so I may give this a try. It looks absolutely amazing…and not a bit dowdy!
Pan-dowdy or pandowdy, it looks good to me.
OH YES!!! YES YES YES!!
I am a big fan of the pandowdy. Besides it’s obviously awesome name, I love the single crust, that it’s only on top – so nice and brown and crunchy – and love your roof-tile approach – no pressure for perfection! I have a ton of peaches too – and some blueberries that might make a nice addition?
One of my other favourite peach recipes is Peach Pie with Roasted Peach Ice Cream – http://tinyurl.com/l4umn9 (That was last summer – this summer I tried Roasted Plum Ice Cream and strongly recommend it!)
And another of my favourite recipes of all time is brilliant made with any number of stone fruits – peaches are right up there – Plum Browned Butter Bliss – http://tinyurl.com/l8b9ry – is fruit topped with a crusty, golden cakey topping that’s better than cobbler, easier than pie!
I know what you mean abt some beloved dishes having the most unfortunate names! I sometimes struggle with my answer when people eat something like that and ask “what do you call this?”. But I’ve heard of pandowdies … and yes, it sounds quaint but yours looks AMAZING .. and really at the end of the day, that’s all that matters!
Loved the Dorothy bit! When I lived in Chicago, it was Al Capone. Wisconsin? Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. (sigh)
I always thought a pandowdy was a comfort dessert with a rustic look but yours is just amazing (love the tiny dough apple).
I chose apricots for the theme this week:
http://sandrakavital.blogspot.com/2009/08/poelee-dabricots-en-gratin-de-sabayon.html
Hey I just posted a new peach recipe for Summer Fest! Peach Elderberry Jam:
http://bit.ly/9twgo
you forgot about the Oz talk on facebook. yes, even on facebook people comment on how there is no place like home or the lollypop guild, at least we know people still watch that movie. judy garland rocks! by the way your peaches look fabulous!
Oh my… it look so delish… I think I’m hallucinating and smelling it from here…
Good luck on the Summer Fest.
Oh my goodness! I am in love with this.
I must admit I am also highly intimidated by the looks of it, and the ability you seem to have manipulating the dough. Even reading it I got a little apprehensive. I will have to work up to your expertise… I’m just making my first trifle. heh…..
However, while I am sitting in my window seat tonight, sipping my peach drink and catching up with my boyfriend… I’ll be dreaming of this decadent dessert!
Thanks for sharing!
Here is my contribution to the Summer Fest… Yep… the Trifle
http://crunchygreenmom.blogspot.com/2009/08/summer-fest-week-2.html
I just want to start by saying that I absolutely love the Donald Duck utensil. Too cute!
Here is my contribution this week.
Persian Lime Drops
http://mypersiankitchen.com/?p=858
Love the ginger peach combo, and the topping looks so fancy! I love the old-timey desserts with funny names like “pandowdy” and “grunt”! I made Rainier cherry tarts for Week 2 of Summer Fest! http://realfoodmadeeasy.ca/blog/?p=569
This is the only blog I read aloud. Some words should be savored.
We just returned from Colorado, and the ginger-peach duo flashed their flavor everywhere we went. My wife had a peach-crystallized ginger pancake (Along with a great carrot-cake pancake) at Snooze in Denver. I had peach-ginger pie in Estes, and somewhere along the way we had the same combo in an ice cream.
If this recipe is half as good as your peach-cobbler recipe, I’m in for a treat.
My first instinct is to bristle up when I hear the OZ comments, but I’m usually polite. People always think they’re witty when they throw out the OZ comments. It’s sad really. They don’t realize they lack creativity and succeed in only being trite.
We have the following Dinah Shore song on our Ipod:
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy
Makes your eyes light up,
Your tummy say “Howdy.”
Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy
I never get enough of that wonderful stuff.
It’s a family fave, but I always think of Burt Reynolds and harry chests when I hear it. It’s weird how the mind works.
I’d never heard of a pandowdy, but I was excited to try it! I’m curious about the pastry recipe as it has more fat (butter/shortening) than I’m used to… that said, it tasted great, was flaky, and was very easy to work with. I ended up rolling it much thinner – probably 1/4″ – to make sure I had enough to go around and to suit my taste (1/2″ seemed too thick). Unfortunately, I’m not a veteran pie maker, except for apple, and my peaches weren’t that sweet, and I didn’t add enough sugar to compensate. I still thought it was delicious! I’ll be posting pictures later tonight, so come take a look!
Of course, I mean hairy chests. I’m sure there’s a man out there named Harry Chests who has a great nighclub act or who’s a porn star or who’s a lion tamer or he operates a backhoe. He’s probably not a baker, bikini waxer, or mime.
I cannot take that little peach crusty cut-out..too cute! Must get back upstate and buy some peaches before the summer is through.
-Sarah
So funny, you have Kansas sensitivities! I though only Southerners had to cringe from our reputation, and the embarrassing flaunting by some of the exploiters of those stereotypes.
and yeah, that would be Paula Dean and her donut hamburger for one.