Late summer is an interesting time. You’re wiping sweat from your brow one day, and sensing a crisp change in the air the next.
One day, an ice cream pie fits the bill. The next day, you’re hankering for something warm and gooey — of course, with a dollop of cream on top, or maybe even a dip of vanilla ice cream.
These two recipes, then, are good options for August.
The first comes from Nestle Kitchens. It was the grand prize winner in last year’s Nestle pie recipe contest.
The second comes from a Sacramento Bee story that celebrates the arrival of the peach crop.
CARAMEL MACCHIATO ICE CREAM PIE
Crust:
- 9 graham crackers
- 1 cup finely chopped almonds
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
- 1.5-quart container coffee ice cream, softened
- 1/2 cup dulce de leche
- 8-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels, chopped, divided
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
For crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Add graham crackers to a food processor and pulse until crackers resemble fine crumbs. Add crumbs to bowl, along with chopped almonds, sugar and butter; stir to combine. Press into bottom and up sides of 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.
Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
For filling: Spread ice cream into cooled pie crust, smoothing out over bottom of crust. Sprinkle with half of the chopped morsels.
Heat dulce de leche in microwave-safe bowl on high (100 percent) power for a few seconds to soften; stir. Pour over chocolate morsels, spreading as evenly as you can.
Spoon whipped topping over dulce de leche, covering entire surface of pie. Sprinkle with remaining chopped morsels and sliced almonds.
Freeze for 30 minutes. Remove pie from freezer and cover with foil. Place back in freezer for at least 4 hours or until pie has set. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before you are ready to serve. Store any leftovers covered in freezer. Serves 10.
COCONUT-PEACH CRISP
“A nutty toasted oat topping gives this dessert crunch, while the luscious peaches and coconut bubble away underneath,” writes Tammy Algood, author of “Fresh Farm Southern Cooking: Straight From the Garden to Your Dinner Table." The Sacramento Bee notes that she recommends baking the dessert during dinner, which “gives everyone time to enjoy the main meal and conversation while it tempts with a tantalizing aroma to remind guests that dessert is on the way.”
- 1 cup rolled (or old-fashioned) oats
- 1 cup ground blanched almonds
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour (divided)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2/3 cup lightly packed sweetened shredded coconut
- 2 1/2 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced (about 6 large peaches)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Whipped cream
Position rack in the lowest third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan; set aside.
Place oats on a baking sheet and toast 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a mixing bowl and cool completely.
Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
Add the almonds, 1 tablespoon of the flour, the baking powder and salt to the oats. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well. Stir in the extract, oat mixture, and coconut. Set aside.
Place peaches in the prepared dish. Add remaining flour, sugar and juice, tossing gently to coat the peaches. Crumble the oat topping over the peaches. Bake until crisp and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with a dollop of freshly whipped cream. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
