Fresh Peach Pie
Crust for 9″ pie
1 egg
6 cups peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced (about 2 lbs)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch ground nutmeg
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 425. Beat egg. Lay bottom crust in pie pan, brush with egg. Roll out pastry for top crust and cut into 3/4″ wide strips.
Put peaches in large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice, tossing to coat well. Set aside. In a smaller bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Drain peaches. Combine dry ingredient with peaches, mix thoroughly.
Put fruit mixture in pie crust and dot with butter. Use the pastry strips to make a lattice top. Trim and flute edges.
Bake 25 minutes at 425, reduce to 350 and bake until juices are bubbling and top is browned, about 25 minutes longer.

Peach, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad
3 ripe peaches, peeled, if desired
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Cut each peach into 6 to 8 wedges, then cut each wedge in half crosswise.
In a large bowl, combine the peaches, basil, and mozzarella. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and toss. You can cover and refrigerate the salad for up to several hours. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Watermelon-Cucumber Salad
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 cucumbers, peeled, halved and seeded
salt
8 cups seeded and cubed watermelon
1/4 red onion sliced thinly

Combine vinegar, sugar and pepper in saucepan. Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute, remove from heat and cool. Slice cucumbers and toss with 1 teaspoon of salt. Let sit in colander for 30 minutes. Pat dry. Just before serving toss watermelon with salt in a large bowl. Add cucumbers, red onions, and pepper syrup and toss.

Quick and Easy Peach Upside-Down Biscuits
Make these great little biscuits to go along with a breakfast or brunch casserole, or make them as a treat or dinner dessert for the family.
1 pound peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced thinly
5 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup coconut
2 Tablespoons orange juice
1 package (7.5 oz) refrigerated biscuits, country style or buttermilk (10 biscuits)

Butter 10 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan. Heat oven to 400°. Line a 15×10-inch jelly roll pan with foil or have a large pan or piece of foil ready for the biscuits.
Combine the melted butter with the brown sugar, coconut, and orange juice.
Put 2 teaspoons of the brown sugar and coconut mixture into each of 10 muffin cups. Put about 1 tablespoon of diced peaches on the mixture. Open the package of biscuits and separate into 10 biscuits. Place 1 biscuit in each of the 10 muffin cups.
Bake the biscuits for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown. Immediately and carefully invert onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan or baking pan.
Makes 10 servings.

Chutney
1 1/2 lbs cooking apples (you can also use combinations of apples, peaches and pears)
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon chopped ginger root
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup honey (more to taste)
1 cup cider vinegar
cayenne, to taste

Coarsely chop the fruit. (You need not peel them.) Combine everying in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes to an hour. Cool before storing in a jar. Makes roughly one quart.
*You can use chutney in chicken salad, replacing half of the mayonnaise with chutney. You can also use it as a sandwich spread, or serve it with a hard, sharp cheese for a delicious hors d’oeuvre.

Fresh Herb Yogurt Dip with Sliced Fruit
2 cups yogurt cheese (see below)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
dash allspice
6 fresh pears or apples, any variety, or a mix, sliced
honey (optional)

Yogurt cheese: Line a sieve with a coffee filter or double thickness of cheesecloth. Suspend the sieve over a deep bowl. Spoon plain yogurt into the filer, cover with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator, and allow the whey to drip out. When the yogurt has the consistency of soft, velvety spreadable cheese, about 6 hours, scrape into a bowl.
Add herbs and seasonings to yogurt cheese. Stir. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 24 hours. Serve with sliced fruit and a dollop of honey.

Country Pear Cobbler
Filling:
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash ground cloves
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
6 to 8 medium pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 Tablespoon sugar
light cream, if desired

Combine all of the filling ingredients, except pears, in a large skillet. Stir in sliced pears. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until hot and bubbly, stirring gently. Remove from heat and set aside.
Make topping: Place flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Beat on low speed of electric mixer for about 30 seconds. Add buttermilk and melted butter. Continue to mix on low speed for another 30 seconds, or until just blended.
Pour hot filling into 8- or 9-inch baking pan. Top evenly with large spoonfuls of topping. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon sugar. Bake at 375° F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pears are tender and bubble and topping is golden brown.
Serve warm with light cream, if desired.

Mixed Fruit Cobbler
Filling:
3 medium ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced
2 large nectarines, peeled, pitted and sliced
2 large peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon butter, chilled, in small pieces
Topping:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil

Preheat oven to 375. Spray an 8-inch pan with cooking spray. Mix fruit, sugar, and cornstarch and place in prepared pan. Dot with butter.
Mix topping ingredients and spread over filling. Bake until topping is lightly golden and fruit juices are bubbling, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream.

Waldorf Rice Salad
1 quart apples, cored and diced
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 1/2 quarts brown rice, cooked and cooled
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups raisins
3/4 cup carrots, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

In a large bowl, toss the apples with pineapple juice, drain if necessary. Stir in rice, celery, walnuts, raisins, and carrots.
In a separate bowl, blend yogurt, mayonnaise, salt, cinnamon, and coriander. Stir dressing into apple mixture, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fall Squash and Apple Soup
2 lbs acorn squash or pumpkin, halved and seeded
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, grated
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
sour cream
Snipped fresh chives

Place squash or pumpkin cut side down on a rack set over gently simmering water in a saucepan. Cover and steam until tender, about 10 minutes. Cool squash slightly, then scoop pulp from shells.
Combine 1/4 cup broth, apples, and onion in a heavy medium saucepan. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add squash or pumpkin pulp, remaining broth, apple juice, ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and simmer until ingredients are very tender, about 20 minutes.
Puree soup in batches in food processor or blender. Strain through a sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing puree with the back of a spoon. Reheat soup gently. Add lemon juice. Season with salt and white pepper, to taste.
Ladle into bowls. Garnish with sour cream and chives.

Apple Strudel Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples
Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 375° F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of muffins.
Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing from pan. Cool on a wire rack.