Peach Squares (ATK)

• servings: 24

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups sliced almonds

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

Salt

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 1/2 pounds frozen peaches, partially thawed

1/2 cup peach preserves

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to mid- dle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 13 by 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing excess to overhang pan edges. Spray pan with cooking spray. Process flour, 1 1/4 cups almonds, granulated sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter and pulse mixture until it resembles coarse meal (some pea-sized pieces of butter will remain), about twenty 1-second pulses.

2. Transfer ½ cup flour mixture to small bow! and set aside. Press remaining flour mixture firmly and evenly into bottom of prepared baking pan (see photo 1). Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toss remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar with reserved flour mixture. Set aside.

3. While crust is baking, remove blade from food processor and wipe out workbowl. Pulse peaches and preserves in food processor until mixture has 1/4 inch chunks, about five 1-second pulses (if larger chunks remain, scrape down sides and pulse 2 more times). Cook peach mixture in large nonstick skillet over high heat until thickened and jam-like, about 10 minutes. Off heat, add pinch salt, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pour mixture over hot crust.

4. Using fingers, pinch reserved flour mixture to create dime- sized clumps (see photo 2) and sprinkle over peaches. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup almonds over top and bake until almonds are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature, at least 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift from pan and cut into 24 squares. Squares are best served on day they are baked. (See page 30 for reheating instructions.)

Notes

I haven't had much luck baking peach squares. They always come out too wet and crumbly, and they aren't loaded with the intense flavor of peaches that I want. Can you help? -Pamela Hopkins, Henrietta, Ga.

A peach square should be packed with peach flavor and be sturdy enough so that it can be eaten out of hand-just like the perfect summer peach. But judging from the half-dozen recipes I made at the outset of my research, both of those qualities are pretty rare in most peach squares. The biggest discovery I made in my testing was frozen peaches.. Not only were they more convenient than fresh (no peeling, pitting, and chopping), but their quality was more consistent. Chopping the peaches in the food processor before cooking them down in a skillet with peach preserves gave me a rich, deeply flavored filling, and because excess liquid evaporated during cooking, the filling also had just the right texture: not wet but jammy, with bits of peach to bite into. I developed a simple streusel that works as both crust and topping, so these peach squares are as easy to make as they are to eat. -Katie Henderson

How to MAKE PEACH SQUARES One mixture is used for both the crust and the topping.

1. Sprinkle the flour, sugar, and nut mixture over the pan and press down firmly, using the flat bottom of a measuring cup to form an even layer.

2. After the crust has been baked, layer the hot peach filling into the pan, then pinch the remaining streusel (the crust mixture with more brown sugar added) into dime-sized pieces and sprinkle it over the peach filling.

Although any brand of frozen peaches or peach preserves will work, the test kitchen prefers Whole Foods 365 frozen peaches and Smucker's preserves.

Peachy Keen For intense fruit flavor, our recipe bypasses fresh fruit for these two year-round staples.

FROZEN FRUIT More reliable than fresh and always available.

PEACH PRESERVES Adds intensity as well as bits of fruit.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2006• COOK'S COUNTRY

Peach Square Revival

Our Peach Squares (page 13) are best served on the day they are made because the crust can become soggy with time. However, it is possible to revive the squares. Simply place leftover squares side by side (with no spaces in between the squares) on a baking sheet and heat in a 350-degree oven until the bottoms are crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool back to room temperature before eating.