Fairwell to Summer!

The end of summer is upon us :( And I thought it would be best to have one last go round at the wonderful fruity desserts that are only possible in summer. I found this recipe while poking around Epicurious.com. The minute I saw it my entire mouth began to water. Just looking at the juicy peaches and bubbling blueberries made my mouth cry out for a bite!! Sometimes when I look at a picture of a beautiful dessert I can almost taste the melding of the individual flavors in my mouth and practically imagine myself taking the first bite, of what I am sure will be my daily moment of eternal bliss...that's what the pictures of this "cake" did for me!

I could not believe how easy this Peach Blueberry Cake was to make, and can I just say, I think it's funny that it's called a cake, because it didn't really seem like a cake to me. It's more like a fluffy, moist pie crust/bready type of thing (ok, that wasn't any help...no I see why they said "cake"). The only change I made to the recipe was to exchange cornstarch for the tapioca pudding. Next time I make this though I will either add a little extra corn starch or try the tapioca, because I wish my fruit sauce/juice would've been a little thicker. The thing I loved most about this was that it was mostly fruit. The peaches are cut into quarters, so you get huge chunks of them, and the crust wasn't too overwhelming. Everything was balanced out perfectly. (Oh, I also added a little less sugar to my fruit, since they were already soo sweet). And even though this recipe is "summer based" I think it could easily carry over into the off season, thanks to the frozen foods section :) I'm interested to see what this recipe would be like with different fruits...maybe plums and strawberries, or peaches and raspberry...even rhubarb. I mean the possibilities to this easy to prepare masterpiece are endless!

The presentation is also AMAZING, like I said...how can you not want to eat this after you've seen it. It was so funny, my mom was out mowing the yard and came in begging for me to take it out of the oven for her to have a bite because she could smell the alluring aroma outside!! And I will admit this cake smells heavenly, the smell of sweet peaches bubbling away in their own juices, with a slight aroma of plump blueberries in the background is enough to put anyone in a trance! So take caution when making this, because you will fall head over heals for this cake in no time flat!!

I don't think words can describe to you just how scrumptious the first, second, third, fourth...last bite of this cake was. The peaches had softened, of course, but still held up very nicely. They didn't turn to mush, they had only gotten sweeter with each passing minute of the oven timer. And the blueberries were cooked perfectly to the point where they would burst in your mouth when you bite into one. Then there was the thick syrup that formed from the natural juice of the fruit, which was almost like a stewed fruit/compote mixture, which lended just enough moisture to the crisp on the edges, but fluffy in the center, crust! I am telling you, I haven't enjoyed eating a dessert like this in a really long time!!

ENJOY!

Peach Blueberry Cake
For pastry

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

For filling

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca

2 lb firm-ripe large peaches (about 4), halved lengthwise, pitted, and each half cut lengthwise into fourths

1 cup blueberries (1/2 pint) 1

tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Special equipment: a 9- to 91/2-inch (24-cm) springform pan; an electric coffee/spice grinder
Make pastry:Pulse together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add egg and vanilla and pulse just until dough clumps and begins to form a ball, about 15 pulses.
Press dough onto bottom and evenly (about 1/4 inch thick) all the way up side of springform pan with floured fingertips. Chill pastry in pan until firm, about 10 minutes.
Make filling while pastry chills:Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. (NOTE: If using dark pan, turn oven to 350 degrees, and bake 15 minutes less)
Grind 2 tablespoons sugar with flour and tapioca in grinder until tapioca is powdery, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining 6 tablespoons sugar. Add peaches, blueberries, and lemon juice and gently toss to coat. Spoon filling into pastry and bake, loosely covered with a sheet of foil, until filling is bubbling in center and crust is golden, about 1 3/4 hours.
Transfer cake in pan to a rack and cool, uncovered, 20 minutes, then carefully remove side of pan.
Cool cake to barely warm or room temperature, then cut into thick wedges with a sharp knife before serving.