Caramelized Peaches

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Paul from Lake Isabella, CA for this one:

I have a dear friend (I'll call her "Susan") who is just the sweetest
person you'll ever meet, but she's not exactly the brightest bulb
in the chandelier - if you catch my drift. Susan called me up a
couple of weeks ago asking if I had a really good cake recipe. It
was about to be her hubby's 40th birthday and she wanted to
make his cake from scratch, as opposed to a cake mix or bakery
cake. Knowing the fact this girl quite possibly fell off the turnip
truck, I gave her one of the simplest recipes I have.

I called her yesterday to see how everything went, and she said
the cake only turned out so-so. It was a bit flat and slightly chewy.

Me: Did you follow the directions?

Susan: Yeah. There was one ingredient I wasn't quite sure about
though.

OK. This cake calls for flour, sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla
extract, soda, salt and water. Very basic ingredients. I could not
imagine what possibly confused her.

Me: Well, which one was that, do you think?

Susan: I think it was a problem with the soda. Your recipe said
1 tsp. soda, but did not say what type, so I used Seven-Up. Maybe
it should have been Pepsi.

I think I actually bruised myself slapping my forehead.

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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All recipes this week are adapted from "The Best America Recipes,
2005-2006," available from Amazon.com at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0618574786/worldwiderecipes

This recipe by Jacques Pepin is actually better with canned peaches
than with fresh peaches, so keep a few cans in your pantry for the
next time you need an elegant French dessert on short notice.

Caramelized Peaches

2 cans (15 oz, 425 g each) peaches in heavy syrup, drained
and syrup reserved
1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream
1 Tbs (15 ml) cognac (optional)
1 Tbs (15 ml) lemon juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped pistachios, toasted almonds, or
nuts of your choice

Cook the syrup in a skillet large enough to hold the peaches over
high heat until it is reduced and thickened into caramel, about 10
minutes. Add the peaches and the cream. Bring to a boil, stirring
to dissolve the caramel in the cream. Transfer to a bowl and cool.
Stir in the optional cognac, lemon juice, and a little water if needed
to thin the sauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with
chopped nuts. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Fri Mar 24 08:28:24 2006