Wednesday, August 23, 2006

peach lush v 1.0

peach lush v 1.0

the lack of posts recently is due to the fact that the three of us were all in one place this weekend and actually doing things instead of sitting in front of the computer. on sunday, we had this dessert that was called "peach lush" at this restaurant on el paseo whose name escapes me. all i can say is...yum. it was a lighter version of a cheescake, with a pecan shortbread crust and topped with fresh peaches, as the name would imply. i have not been able to stop thinking about it, so i attempted to recreate it.

peach lush v 1.0

after tasting the finished product, it's good but not quite right. here's what i came up with for version 1.0:

crust:

16 pecan sandies cookies, crushed
4 tbsp. melted butter

mix together and press into a small (7") springform pan and bake at 350 about 10 - 12 minutes. cool.

filling:

8 oz cream cheese
4 oz milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 c heavy cream

beat cream cheese, milk, vanilla, powdered sugar until smooth. keep beating until some air gets incorporated and the mixture gets thick. in another bowl (alton brown would tell you to chill a metal bowl for this), beat the cream until stiff peaks form. mix 1/3 of the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it. then fold in the remaining two thirds of the whipped cream in two batches (those are definitely a.b. instructions). fill the cooled crust with this mixture and chill thoroughly.

topping:

1 c water
1 c sugar
2 peaches

make a simple syrup from the water and sugar. peel peaches and remove the seeds. cut into thin slices. just when simple syrup comes to a good simmer, remove from heat and add peach slices. poach peaches in syrup for about two minutes then remove to a plate and drain off any excess syrup. chill peaches, then arrange on top of the "pie."

peach lush v 1.0

thoughts for next time: the crust and the toppings were pretty close. the filling was a little too mousse-y, though. the original was really firm and rich. i don't know if that was because there was more cream cheese or if it was just chilled longer. (as mooncrazy could tell you, i'm not the world's most patient individual, so if you guessed that i didn't let it chill that long, you'd be right.) i might also try beating the cream cheese and the heavy cream together or maybe add a little gelatin in the cream cheese mixture.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hrm, I wonder if it would be possible to bake then chill the cake then layer the peaches on top? I can't speak for your peach lush, but it looks as pretty as pie (cake?) :P

Kalyn Denny said...

Very impressive!

wheresmymind said...

Poached peaches...yum! I love cream cheese frosting as well :)

maltese parakeet said...

ellie - thanks! baking might be an option. but i'd have to adjust the recipe as i think the whipped cream would melt. i'm still on the fence about baking, though; the original seemed like it was not baked. doodles & mooncrazy may want to weigh in on this.

kalyn - double thanks!

jeff - third comment? you're losing your edge, man! :)

Deborah Eley De Bono said...

little bird all I can say is..you are amazing!!!

that is a near perfect replication - well maybe with the exception of amount of time relegated to the fridge.

I don't think baking is an option....but I am thinking that mascarpone cheese in the mix could be an option. we are going to TRY to replicate this "LUSH" as well so this could be an all lush all week posting.

great job..and a dynamite photo!!!

doodles

maltese parakeet said...

thanks, doodles. i don't know. the texture wasn't quite right. they had so much more air in the mixture. i'll just have to keep trying. glad you like the snaps. the colors are a little wonky because i was shooting in my dining room at 11 pm with all the lights on and the iso maxed out at 1600. the colors aren't what i wanted them to be.

Deborah Eley De Bono said...

Good job, lil bird! That was an amazing desert and it is on our list of "to do" while Doodles is in residence.

I think the bottom is actually a pie crust but your's looks better. The pie crust was a bit lacking in the original.

As for the filling. I think it's just the ratio of cream to cream cheese that's off and the possibility you didn't chill it overnight, which it needs. I liked your method, that is spot on.

Did your peaches still have that "raw" taste?

Even if it was exact it looks damn good! Any leftovers?

maltese parakeet said...

the peaches still had a lot of bite to them. i only poached them for a couple of minutes after i turned off the heat for that reason. i think you could even get away with under a minute. i really wanted to keep them from getting brown and have that nice light glaze they had.

2/3 of the pie still under wraps in my fridge. come 'n get it!

Anonymous said...

mmmmm, YUMMY!

Annie said...

That's quite a peachy lush. I could totally eat huge quantities of that. Maybe it's good I'm not close by :)

sylvie1950 said...

Welcome back. Missed you all. Very good first try. I'll betit tasted great.

La Vida Dulce said...

looks amazing!