Puddings, Cakes, and Bakes ... A Random Recipe

This month's random recipe brings us to the back of the book, so to speak ... the sweets and baked goods that end a good meal or give us a little bit of sweetness alongside tea or coffee. So here we go ...

Leave it to me to randomly open to a recipe that I never think about until the dead of winter ... gingerbread! Really folks, gingerbread is one of my favorite 'comfort food desserts' that goes wayyyyy back to childhood and my mother. During the growing up years, Mom would make a pan of gingerbread a few times during the winters and whip cream to serve atop. There are five kids in our family and there was never any left - hence it seemed a real treat. That one warm square of sweet gingery cake with its plop of soft whipped cream seemed such a topper for a wintertime meal!

Today, I did the random run down the cookbook shelves and this is the book that came off the shelf. This is a book that my handsome boy gave me last Christmas. He told me that I had way to many swanky cookbooks and I needed a book that would remind me to make the Yankee and hometown dishes that we all had when the kids were sprouts and I was a fledgling foodie. My boy is wise sometimes. Anyway, when I opened the book to gingerbread, I almost refused the challenge because it's just the beginning of autumn and my food memory sensibilities revolted. This is, consequently, a testimony to how much I love and adore Dom and want to play by the rules.

So Dom ... this one's for you ! I did however, put a spin on the original. I bought four beautiful peaches at the farmer's market over the weekend and have made a small batch of spicy peach compote. THAT is what I topped this warm gingerbread with ( yeah, okay AND a not so small dollop of whipped cream!).

Gooseberry Patch’s Gingerbread with Peach Compote

Gingerbread Ingredients:

1 c. sugar

½ c. applesauce

¼ c. soft butter

¼ c. molasses

2 c. flour

4 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 c. buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

Toppings: Whipped cream and Peach Compote (recipe follows)

Making Gingerbread:

1. Grease bottom and sides and line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan or like-sized baking pan with parchment paper. You can also skip the paper and use a 10 inch cast-iron skillet if you want to get all ‘old-timey’. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the pan and set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 325° F.
2. Whip the sugar, applesauce, butter, and molasses until it’s smooth and creamy.
3. Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large measuring cup.
4. Break and beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the buttermilk to the eggs and whisk together.
5. Alternately add the flour mix and egg mix to the sweet mix, beating to make a smooth batter.
6. Pour into your baking pan and smooth the batter around.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes clean when the gingerbread is poked.
8. Cool ten minutes and then tip out of the baking pan and peel off the parchment paper. Right the gingerbread onto a pretty platter and sprinkle the top with a bit of confectioner’s sugar. Serve immediately with warm peach compote and a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Rachael Ray’s Easy Peach Compote

Ingredients:

4 perfect peaches, pitted and sliced, slices halve cross-wise

¼ c. light brown sugar

1 tbsp. butter

¼ c. fresh orange juice

4 pinches cinnamon

Place all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the peaches are softened, but still have a bit of bite. Serve warm over gingerbread (or pancakes!)

Mmmm! Good! Flavours of childhood and thoughts of my mom ... a peach of a gal !