Faux Peach Pies
When I’m craving peach pie but don’t feel like indulging in a buttery pie crust, I make this. It has all the same flavors of a peach pie, but in a meringue cup that doesn’t make you feel guilty. I make these with white peaches because they are my favorite, but yellow peaches are also delicious.
Faux Peach Pies
Yields 2 meringue cups.
Ingredients
- FOR THE MERINGUE CUPS:
- 2 egg whites at room temperature
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, finely chopped (optional)
- FOR THE STEWED PEACHES:
- 2 medium peaches
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons sorghum syrup (or brown sugar)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground allspice
- a few drops of lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275°.
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the egg whites in a medium glass bowl. Let them come to room temperature if they have not already. Add the cream of tartar, then beat with an electric mixer until foamy.
- Slowly stream in half of the sugar while beating. Add the almond extract. Once soft peaks form, fold in the remaining sugar and the chopped almonds gently with a spatula.
- Make 2 disks on the parchment paper with the meringue. You can do this by using a pastry bag or a spoon. Make a lip around the edge with an extra ring of meringue and make a small indention in the middle to hold the peaches. Place the meringue in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Never open the door. Once the hour is complete, turn off the oven and let it sit for another 2 hours. It is very important not to open the oven at all during the whole 3 hours.
- Before the baking time is up, get to work on your peaches. Peel and slice them. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and let it brown slightly. The butter is browning when you see it bubbling and foaming. This is the water evaporating and the fat browning. Delicious! Add the sliced peaches, sorghum syrup and spices. Cook everything together to your desired degree of doneness. I like my peaches slightly crunchy; some like theirs fully soft.
- Take the meringues out of the oven and fill the indent with the stewed peaches.
- Serve with almond-flavored whipped cream, if you wish.
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