There is a dessert / sweet dish in Germany called “Apfel im Schlafrock”. It’s an apple dumpling and the name literally translates to “Apple in Nightgown/Dressing Gown”. I’ve always thought it funny then, to think of calling peach dumplings something similar and the alliteration just works for me: Peaches in Pajamas. Pie crust wrapped around ripe peaches and brown sugar, baked to a golden brown and served warm with ice cream or a creme anglais. Serve as a sweet meal, a dessert — or heck, I had it as breakfast this morning!
Ingredients
for the crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 tablespoons (or more) ice water
for the filling
2 ripe but not mushy-ripe peaches, cut in half and pit removed (you can leave the peel on)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball; divide into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disk. Wrap each in plastic; chill 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375F. Spray bottom of a baking dish with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper, or both.
In a small bowl, mix together the lemon zest, brown sugar and cinnamon. Fill pit-less peaches with mixture (in other words, where the pit was), as full as you can get them.
Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 10-11-inch diameter circle. Place a peach in the center and mold dough up around it and seal the dough around the peach. You might need a bit of water to seal. If you are feeling artistic, cut a few leaf-shapes of dough and lay over top seams. Repeat with second peach. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar. This will help in browning.
Bake on middle rack of oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Let rest for a few minutes before serving, with ice cream would be nice.
