Peach Pecan Crisp (Dairy and Gluten Free)
I had a moment last week when I looked around at Sam and I racing to get Oliver a second glass of milk while simultaneously making lunch for the next day, running his bath and washing one of Frankie’s bottles and thought: what have we done? We’d hardly talked to one another since we got home and we both had an agenda the second Oliver was asleep: Sam to catch up on unfinished work, me to do some yoga and shower before bed. Two passing ships.
To say that life looked different years ago when we met is an understatement: obviously we didn’t have kids then, we both were self employed and hustling to make a dream work. Today there’s less of that constant hustle as we both make moves to settle in and work for other companies with actual health care and steady pay checks. Imagine!
But I had a vision the other day of the crux of what made us us … sailing away. Back then, we dreamed we’d open up a studio called Pies and Pixels: I’d bake and sell pies and Sam would design and we’d have this coworking space where the community would come together. Sam is most fulfilled when he’s creating. And in a way I am, too. But these days, the dream of Pies and Pixels has changed. It’s no longer in close reach — for so many reasons. Nor would either of us say it was a particularly good decision for the stage of life we’re in. But lately, I’ve realized I miss the dreaming part, our modern version of Pies and Pixels.
When I talked to Sam about it, expressing my fear that we were losing parts of ourselves that made us us, he said it wasn’t so. It was just that now we were living the thing versus just dreaming about the thing. Sure it looks different now, but this is it playing out in real time rather than just inside our heads.
I’m reading a book right now called Overwhelmed, kind of a study of our busyness culture (the subtitle is, “How to Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time” — I’m here for that!). I just finished the chapter on leisure time and how Americans have lost the ability to recognize, use and enjoy it. One of the leisure researchers started his discussion by defining leisure as “being open to the wonder and marvel of the present.” I love this so much, and it’s not all that different from what Sam was saying: we’re now living our lives in the present instead of dreaming them up. And while many days that contributes to this sense of overwhelm and loss of time to think about Big Ideas, it also forces us to keep our feet planted firmly in the moment we’re in. And there’s something special comforting about that, too.
In the spirit of Pies and Pixels combined with the reality of busy, modern lives I bring you today a very simple peach crisp. I love making pie, but it is certainly a bit more of a commitment than a crisp or a crumble and sometimes you’ve got ripe fruit on the counter and a tiny window of free time — and neither one can wait.
Peach Pecan Crisp
- Yield: 8 servings
- Prep time: 10 mins
- Cook time: 55 mins
- Inactive time: 1 hr
- Total time: 2 hrs 5 mins
Fruit crisps are all about simplicity so no need to peel the peaches here – the skins soften in the oven. Coconut oil tends to be soft at room temperature but not necessarily liquid unless your kitchen is quite hot, so warm it in the microwave or on the stovetop until it’s liquid for this recipe. The crisp is best eaten the day it’s made.
Ingredients
For the Topping:
For the Filling:
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
In an 9×11 inch baking dish, mix together the sliced peaches, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the oats, pecans, almond meal, brown sugar and salt. Mix in the coconut oil and stir until combined.
Spoon the topping over the peaches to cover them evenly. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the fruit juices are bubbling and the topping is deep golden brown. Transfer baking dish to a wire rack and allow to cool for 1 hour before serving.
The crisp is best enjoyed the day it’s made, but it holds up just fine, covered and on the countertop for up to two days.
Welcome to A Sweet Spoonful, my blog devoted to seasonal cooking, whole grain baking, and casual gatherings in our Pacific Northwest home. My name is Megan Gordon and I'm so glad you're here.
Megan's book! Buy now
- Canada:
- Amazon
Health Comfort Food
Thai Carrot, Coconut and Cauliflower Soup
People describe raising young kids as a particular season in life. I hadn’t heard this until we had a baby, but it brought me a lot of comfort when I’d start to let my mind wander, late at night between feedings, to fears that we’d never travel internationally again or…
Cheesy Quinoa Cauliflower Bake
I just finished washing out Oliver’s lunchbox and laying it out to dry for the weekend. My favorite time of day is (finally) here: the quiet of the evening when I can actually talk to Sam about our day or sit and reflect on my own thoughts after the inevitable…
Stuffed Shells with Fennel and Radicchio
I’d heard from many friends that buying a house wasn’t for the faint of heart. But I always shrugged it off, figuring I probably kept better files or was more organized and, really, how hard could it be? Well, I’ve started (and stopped) writing this post…
Smoky Butternut Squash and Three Bean Chili
If your house is anything like ours, last week wasn’t our most inspired in terms of cooking. We’re all suffering from the post-election blues — the sole upside being Oliver’s decision to sleep-in until 7 am for the first time in many, many months; I think he’s trying…
Spiced Steel Cut Oats Porridge with Cranberry-Ginger Sauce
Porridge is not the sexiest of breakfasts, it’s true. It doesn’t have a stylish name like strata or shakshuka, and it doesn’t have perfectly domed tops like your favorite fruity muffin. It doesn’t crumble into delightful bits like a good scone nor does it fall into buttery…
Kari Kittinger
I love your posts, I’m right there with ya. It’s a wild adventure... young children, jobs, husbands, a love for dreams and a slower paced life. But every time you write my first thought is... how’d she ever find the time to bake, photograph, write, edit and post this?!?! You’re inspiring me :)
megang
Ha, Kari. Honestly a post that used to take me a day to do now takes me two weeks (shop one day after the kids are in bed, the next day take ingredient photo and make the thing, the next day take a pic of the thing, download the photos sometime at night, write sometime at night ....). So .... it's a process!! Thank you for the sweet comment.
rosemarie
I love your posts! Totally agree with Kari up there, how do you find the time? I enjoy your writing so much that'd I be just as happy to see a post with no recipe attached! You know, if that's easier and all :)
This looks lovely and I have a few peaches on my counter!
megang
Aww thank you, Rosemarie! Too kind. It IS easier without a recipe, so I'll keep that in mind :)
Amy Chung
Awesome recipe! I love a good sweet pie! BTW Sam is right.....you're just living a different version of your life now. Fulfillng in different ways.
megang
Thank you, Amy!
Sharon Ellis
And then they grow up and leave home! And if you're lucky, you get wonderful grandchildren!
I love your blog and the delicious recipes and gorgeous photos, Megan. You and Sam are doing a wonderful job.
I remember trying to hold onto each day and wanting to slow down life. And we did have some quiet weekends at home and some lazy summer days, when I switched to three thirteens a week. Reading "Little House" in bed, having a rare breakfast in bed as a treat. Fashion shows on the stairs, with Mama photographing the growing girl and her long blonde hair. Quiet play in the hallway and singing into her microphone in the living room, shyly breaking off when Mama looked around the doorway.
And now she's grown and twice as busy with my two darling littles and their school, lessons, and church. I'm overwhelmed for her, and happy for all them all.
You're doing such a good job. Thanks for letting us be part of it. I'm so proud of all the young parents out there who get so much done, raise such darling littles, and carry on the generations as did their families all the way back.
megang
This made me tear up, Sharon. Thank you so much for sharing. What wonderful memories -- I can just see so many of them the way you described them. Time does go by so fast ... it's just impossible to wrap your mind around. I'm so glad to hear your daughter is off raising her own now. What a treat for you! Have a wonderful weekend! Megan