Blissful Summer Ontario Peach Crisp

This summer has been good to us.

Although wedding planning has brought it’s own set of, shall we say, “challenges”, being engaged is admittedly blissful. An afternoon of registering at Crate and Barrel inevitably leads to daydreaming about a little house and where will that house be? How will we make it our home? Which in turn makes way for daydreaming about the pitter-patter of little feet in that little house (IN FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS, MOM). And isn’t that what this time is really supposed to be about?

We had only been engaged for a few days when I came across Robert Fulghum’s Union, a beautiful passage about the process of a marriage, and it was the first planning decision we agreed on — our officiant will read it as the preamble to our wedding vows. My favorite part:

All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

While the relentless details of planning our wedding celebration have kept us busy, all those conversations and all the wonderful things about summer and the hot, hot heat have kept us even busier. Long bike rides through the city (scoping out neighbourhoods), many delicious meals mostly cooked by other people, weekends away to stay with family and picnics on the Island with good friends and great music have made this summer oh-so-sweet. And every day, I feel a little closer to being married, and that makes the hair-pulling and the hard-decision-making all that easier.

Also sweet this summer? Ontario fruit. Usually, with the exception of berries, I don’t even care much for fruit. But I’ve been enjoying peaches, plums and nectarines at least once a day. The rainy weather in Toronto this weekend was the perfect excuse to stay in and use up my farmer’s market bounty in a blissfully easy peach crisp — best enjoyed curled up on the couch with my almost-husband and the first season of The Wire.

Peach Crisp
Adapted from The Best of Chef at Home
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

2 to 3 pounds peaches; peeled, pitted and sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Toss the peaches with the cinnamon and spread evenly into a baking pan at least two inches deep (Chef Michael Smith suggests a 9×5 inch baking pan, but I used a 10 ten round tart dish).

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and nutmeg. Drizzle in the melted butter and stir until well blended well with the dry ingredients.

4. Scatter the topping evenly over the top of the fruit. Bake until fruit juices are bubbling around the edges, fruit is tender and the top is gold brown, about one hour.