“In Italy, they add work and life on to food and wine.” - Robin Leach
We visited an Italian pastryshop the other day and I asked for a particular type of sweet that I used to really like, but unfortunately they did not make it. I vaguely remembered seeing a recipe for it in our trusty recipe notebook and yes, when we got back home I did find the recipe. Here is the recipe, which we made that afternoon.
Pesche (Peaches)
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
apricot jam
maraschino liqueur
red and yellow food colouring
caster sugar
Whole cloves, crystallised angelica (or fresh mint leaves) for decoration
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
apricot jam
maraschino liqueur
red and yellow food colouring
caster sugar
Whole cloves, crystallised angelica (or fresh mint leaves) for decoration
Method
Heat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease baking trays.
Mix together sugar, eggs and oil. Add flour and baking powder, stirring to form a light dough (you may need to add a little more flour to shape balls).
Form 2.5 cm balls and place on flat baking tray, pressing slightly on top to form hemispheres and bake about 10-15 minutes (until lightly browned on the bottom and pale on top).
While still warm, take a small pointed knife and scoop out a pocket on the flat side of each cookie. Fill with jam and spread a small amount on the flat sides as you join 2 cookies together to form the peach.
Colour the maraschino liqueur with a little food colouring to make a light peach colour and brush on the peaches to give them a “blush”. Then roll the peach in granulated sugar, placing a clove on top of each peach for a “stalk”. You may garnish with crystallised angelica “leaves” (or fresh mint leaves) for presentation.
Heat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease baking trays.
Mix together sugar, eggs and oil. Add flour and baking powder, stirring to form a light dough (you may need to add a little more flour to shape balls).
Form 2.5 cm balls and place on flat baking tray, pressing slightly on top to form hemispheres and bake about 10-15 minutes (until lightly browned on the bottom and pale on top).
While still warm, take a small pointed knife and scoop out a pocket on the flat side of each cookie. Fill with jam and spread a small amount on the flat sides as you join 2 cookies together to form the peach.
Colour the maraschino liqueur with a little food colouring to make a light peach colour and brush on the peaches to give them a “blush”. Then roll the peach in granulated sugar, placing a clove on top of each peach for a “stalk”. You may garnish with crystallised angelica “leaves” (or fresh mint leaves) for presentation.
In Italy, pesche are often served at wedding feasts as they are a symbol of Hymenæus, the Graeco-Roman god of marriage and they signify a long and happy marriage.
I think pesche are often served at wedding feasts because they are 1] sweet and delicious and 2] look like the new spouse's naked buttocks. Thus they really DO signify a long and happy marriage :)
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