Peach-Pie Pudding: It’s Peach Pie Without the Crust

Anyone else happy to save both time and calories? I thought maybe so! That means Peach-Pie Pudding (say that three times!) is for you. It's all the glory that is summer’s very best peach pie, except without the crust! (Added benefit! And without turning on the oven!)

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

What's the "State of Pie" in America?

SPOILER It won't surprise you.

Four years ago, we drove across six states in a pickup on a pie odyssey, seeking out fresh homemade pie in small-town cafes, roadside truckstops and local dives.

I’m sad to report, there’s just one word for the “state of pie in America”: abysmal. ABYSMAL!

We stuck our forks into one forgettable pie after another. It was only the last night, at a pricey white-tablecloth place where the pastry was worth every single calorie.

Now I make a mean pie crust (à la How to Make Flaky Tender Pie Crust) – and I do, for special occasions – but mostly, really, it is better to avoid the carbs and the calories that come with crusts. Still, my Midwestern heart longs for pie, especially in summer when the fruit is so heady and sweet.

So last summer this idea struck me: why not skip the crust entirely and convert pie filling to pudding? We’d just devoured a Fresh Peach Pie and a few ripe peaches sat on the counter. Perfect: guinea-pig peaches!

My first experiment was a hit, soft peachy peaches, but with some firmness and structure left.

I can’t speak for America but here in my kitchen, let the Pie to Pudding Odyssey begin.

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FROM PIE to PUDDING: PEACH-PIE PUDDING

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 2 hours
Serves 6

PEACHES
• Water to cover
• 6 ripe peaches or nectarines

ORANGE SAUCE
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar (Splenda works great)
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• Zest of an orange
• 1 cup orange juice, preferably fresh-squeezed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

TO SERVE
• Greek yogurt and toasted almonds, optional

BLANCH PEACHES Bring a pot of water to a boil. A couple of peaches at a time, drop peaches into the boiling water for 1 minute. Lift out the peaches with a slotted spoon and repeat with remaining peaches. When peaches are cool enough to handle, slip skins off with your hands, then dice the peaches.

COOK ORANGE SAUCE In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and orange zest, slowly add the orange juice. Turn heat to medium and cook slowly, stirring often, until sauce thickens. Remove from heat, stir in butter and almond extract.

COMBINE Stir peaches into sauce, let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.

TO SERVE Top with a little Greek yogurt and a few slivers of toasted almonds.

HOW TO DICE WHOLE PEACHES I like to dice the peaches whole, holding the peach in my left hand, cutting each half into six slices right to the pit, then inserting the knife around the circumference, cutting each slice in to three pieces.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving, assumes 6 servings, with Splenda/sugar: 129/186 Calories; 2g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 5mg Cholesterol; 14mg Sodium; 25/42g Carb; 3g Fiber; 18/35g Sugar; 2g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 2/3 & PointsPlus 3/5 & WW SmartPoints 5/6 & Freestyle 3 CALORIE COUNTERS for 100-calorie servings, divide into 8/15 servings; 50-calorie servings, divide into 11/22 servings. This recipe has been "Alanna-sized".

Adapted from Fresh Peach Pie, my "first" peach pie recipe. And ha! I didn’t realize until just now but this is not the first simplification of a classic peach recipe: just take a look at Peach Un-Cobbler, it’s Peach Cobbler without the "cobble" (or with, should you prefer).

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Seasonal Cooking: This Same Week, Across the Years

Asian Chicken Salad Peacherry Blues (Peach, Cherry & Blueberry Sauce) Fruity Gazpacho Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Easy Radish Spread Pita Crisps Homemade Frozen Yogurt with Homemade Blackberry Sauce Carrot & Zucchini Bread (< this week's reader favorite) Homemade Peach Syrup with Fresh Peaches Baked Chicken with Fresh Peaches Peach-Pie Pudding Zucchini Spiral "Noodle" Salad (< Pinterest loves this!) Homemade Basil Pesto Blueberry Cheesecake Pie

This Week, Elsewhere

~ Lemon Mango Curry Sauce ~
from The HotPot
~ more St. Louis Restaurant Recipes ~
My Weekly Column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

~ Crustless Quiche with Greens & Garden Vegetables ~
~ more Recent Recipes ~
A Veggie Venture

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More Recipes for Summer’s Best Peaches

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ peach recipes ~
~ orange recipes ~

All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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