Italian Peach Amaretti Recipes

PEACHES STUFFED WITH AMARETTI COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish and set aside.
• Using a melon baller, clean out the red flesh from the center of each peach. Arrange the peaches cut side up in the prepared dish. In the bowl of a food processor, add the amaretti cookies and pulse until finely crumbled. Divide the amaretti crumbs between the peaches. Fill the center of each peach with the amaretti cookie crumbs. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of sugar over each. Dot each peach with 1/2 teaspoon of butter.
• Bake until the peaches are tender and the filling is crisp on top, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.

PEACH-AMARETTI BRUSCHETTA

Steps:

• Thinly slice a baguette; arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush with softened butter and sprinkle with salt and sugar. Bake at 425 degrees F until lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Spread softened butter on the toast rounds. Top with peach preserves and crushed amaretti cookies.

AMARETTI-STUFFED PEACHES

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter and pour into a 13- by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
• Pulse 3/4 cup crumbled amaretti in a food processor until finely chopped, then add flour, sugar, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Blend until butter is incorporated, then add egg and blend until smooth.
• Scoop out just enough peach pulp from center of each peach half with a melon-ball cutter or a small spoon to create a 1-inch-deep cavity. Arrange peaches, cut sides up, in baking dish, then brush skins with melted butter from dish. Divide amaretti mixture among cavities, then sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup crumbled amaretti over filling. Bake until filling is puffed and crisp, 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SEMIFREDDO AMARETTI WITH FRESH PEACHES

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until they thicken. Add the half-cup of amaretti crumbs and continue beating for five minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl periodically, until the color of the mixture becomes light and the texture quite thick. Stir in the liqueur, if desired.
• In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites at medium speed until they foam. With the mixer at high speed, slowly add one-half cup of confectioner's sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites hold firm - but not stiff -peaks, about three more minutes.
• In a chilled bowl, beat the cream until it forms soft - but not stiff -peaks.
• Fold together the egg whites and the cream.
• Fold one quarter of the cream and egg white mixture into the egg yolks until they are well blended. Fold in the rest of the cream and egg white mixture by halves, deflating the mixture as little as possible.
• Turn the mixture into custard cups, individual molds, a loaf pan or an ice-cube tray without the separator. Cover well with plastic. Freeze for two to three hours. Semifreddo will keep in freezer for several weeks.
• When ready to serve, plunge the peaches into boiling water for 15 seconds. Rinse under cold water, peel and slice very thinly. Toss with lemon juice and the remaining one-half cup confectioner's sugar, adding sugar according to taste.
• Dip the molds (or mold) briefly into hot water and turn out the semifreddo. Serve individual portions or slices of semifreddo, surrounded by peach slices. Garnish the semifreddo (but not the peaches) with broken pieces of amaretti.

AMARETTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a food processor, grind the almonds into a fine meal. Add the sugar and continue to process for another 15 seconds. Finally, add egg whites and almond extract, continue to process until a smooth dough forms around the blade.
• Using a teaspoon, place well rounded spoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Cookies should be at least 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Cookies should be golden. Allow cookies to cool completely on the paper before removing. Store in a dry place.

ITALIAN STYLE AMARETTO-PEACH CRISP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Arrange the peach slices in an 8x8-inch pan or a gratin dish. (NOTE: If you are using frozen peaches, you don't need to defrost them first, but you do need to separate them.) Sprinkle with lemon zest, lemon juice, and Amaretto, if desired.
• Place the amaretti in a food processor and grind into crumbs with a few short bursts. Add the almonds during the last burst or two, so they get broken up but not finely ground. Stir in the optional sugar, if desired. (If you are in need of a little exercise, you can bypass the food processor. Put the cookies in a plastic bag and whack them mercilessly with a rolling pin. Add the almonds and optional sugar, and shake well.)(NOTE: I skip this step. Instead, I just add the cookies to the butter mixture (the cookies will soften in the melted butter/liquids). Mix and crush with a wooden spoon).
• Transfer the cookie mixture to a bowl, pour in the melted butter, and mix with a fork until well combined. Sprinkle the topping over the peaches, patting it into place.
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold, plain or `a la mode.

PEACH-AMARETTI ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Bring cream to simmer in medium saucepan.
• Beat yolks and sugar until pale yellow.
• Slowly beat hot cream into yolks.
• Return to saucepan; stir over medium-low heat until mixture thickens, about 6 minutes (do not boil or mixture will curdle).
• Strain through a fine sieve into a metal bowl.
• Set bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice (or cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard and chill overnight).
• Cool custard completely, stirring occasionally.
• Puree peaches in processor until smooth.
• Fold 2 cups puree and orange juice into custard.
• Process according to ice cream maker's manufacturer's instructions, until almost set.
• Add liqueur and amaretti and process until set.
• Let ripen in freezer several hours before serving.

PEACH-AMARETTI CRISP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• To make the filling, peel, pit, and cut the peaches into 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) slices. In a large bowl, toss the peaches with the 2 tablespoons (30 g) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, and vanilla or almond extract. Transfer the peaches to a shallow 2-quart (2-liter) baking dish. Set aside.
• To make the topping, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse together the 3/4 cup (110 g) flour, 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar, brown sugar, amaretti crumbs, cinnamon, and almonds until the almonds are in small bits but with chunks still visible. Add the chilled butter pieces and pulse until the topping no longer looks sandy and is just beginning to hold together.
• Distribute the topping evenly over the peaches. Bake until the filling is bubbling around the edges and a sharp paring knife inserted into the center of the cobbler meets no resistance, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature with Vanilla Ice Cream (page 143) or just a pour of fresh, cold cream.
• For a MIXED BERRY CRSIP, make the filling using 6 cups (1 3/4 pounds/795 g) mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and quartered strawberries) with 1/3 cup (65 g) granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons (15 g) all-purpose flour, and 2 teaspoons kirsch or lemon juice.
• If using store-bought amaretti, which are usually tiny, you'll need a few more than indicated in the recipe to make the right amount of crumbs.
• Have a sheet of aluminum foil on the lower rack of the oven during baking to catch any overflow of fruit juices.

PEACH AMARETTI MESS

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed. As cream begins to thicken, beat in granulated sugar and cocoa. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• In 10- or 12-inch skillet, cook peaches, brown sugar and lemon juice over medium heat. As sugar melts to form sauce, stir in schnapps. Cook until peaches are softened.
• In individual dessert dishes, layer whipped cream, crushed cookies and peaches. Repeat layers. Garnish each with whipped cream, crushed cookies and 1 whole cookie. Serve immediately.

ITALIAN PEACH AMARETTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom of a 8" baking dish and set aside. Using a melon baller cleanout the red flesh from the center of peach. Arrange the peaches cut side up in the prepared dish.
• In the bowl of a food processor, add the amaretti cookies and pulse until fine. Divide the amaretti crumbs between the peaches. Fill the center of the peach with the amaretti. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. of sugar over each. Dot each peach with 1/2 tsp. of butter.
• Bake until the peaches are tender and the filling is crisp on top about 30 min. Serve warm with whipped cream.

AMARETTI PEACHES WITH HONEY & CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Halve and stone the peaches, then dig out a little flesh from the centre of each half, using a sharp-edged soup spoon. Put flesh and peaches to one side.
• Tip the amaretti, almonds and chocolate into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is like coarse gravel. Add the spooned-out peach flesh, egg and honey and whizz for just a second or two to combine - don't over-process.
• Spoon the stuffing into the peach halves, mounding it up a little. Arrange the peaches in a single layer in a heavy baking tin, then bake for 25-30 minutes or until the flesh is tender and the stuffing nicely browned. Serve hot, with a dollop of mascarpone or crème fraîche and a dusting of sifted cocoa powder.