Almond-Crisped Peaches

INGREDIENTS:

4 ripe Dickey Farms peaches

1/3 cup whole almonds

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

Optional: 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat oven to 350°F. Halve peaches and remove pits. Place fruit cut side up in baking dish. In a food processor, grind almonds and sugar together until coarsely ground (with a few pebbles left). Add oats and other flavorings, if using, then butter, pulsing the machine until the ingredients are just blended. Spoon the almond mixture into the center of each peach, then press it flat, as if icing the tops of the peaches with it. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (baking time varies with peach size), until the top is brown and crisp and you can easily slice through the fruit with a fork or spoon.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with crème fraîche, lightly sweetened whipped cream or even plain yogurt, cold, for breakfast.

Without a food processor: Use an equivalent weight of almond meal or finely chopped almonds, stir in sugar and any other ingredients, then the same volume of butter, melted. It will be less clumpy, but the oven won’t know the difference.