Baklava

No this post is not about the decadent Greek dessert, but it was the last thing I ate so drool on.  I have never really had a sweet tooth. I would always prefer salt to sweet any day. Yes, I can singlehandedly demolish a bag of chips in ____ minutes flat. I try to make them last at least two days now. Usually sweets are too sweet for me…cliché, but true. Fudge, ice cream, candy, candy bars, cakes, icing, whipped cream, lollipops, cookies, all these things are especially easy for me to pass on, or have one bite and be perfectly content, even though I always search for something salty after.  The sweet things in my diet are usually just fresh fruit. I love to make desserts, but usually when I make them I only have one bite, one piece, or one fresh cookie, then I give them away or make all the visitors of the house eat them. As always though, there is an exception to the rule when it comes to my sweet tooth. When it comes to the land of sweets and desserts, my favorites are fresh fruit cobblers and pies. Any kind really; blackberry, blueberry, peach, apricot, strawberry rhubarb, pears, absolutely tasty! This past weekend I exchanged a jar of freshly pickled beets from the garden in the yard, for a bag of fresh handpicked peaches. And of course I made, a fresh Peach Cobbler. I found an awesome and simple recipe from a cookbook I found in someone’s basement called San Francisco a la Carte Cookbook.   The cobbler was gone in one evening. Seven people got a piece, and I bought ice cream for everyone else to enjoy with the cobbler. (I do not eat ice cream.)   Last week, a friend brought by a handpicked gallon size bag of blackberries that I promptly made into a cobbler. That was gone in about twelve hours solely eaten by the tutor and myself (I think I ate a lot more though). Recently I have begun to appreciate more sweets, but still in very small quantities. The piece of Baklava I just ate was at my work, and I thought I would try it now that my appreciation for sweet is growing. I really enjoy the texture of Baklava, because I really enjoy pastries. I have almost always preferred the savory varieties, but a twice-baked almond croissant will send me places that I-would-die-for-chocolate eaters frequent.
The dangers of non-homemade desserts come from the highly processed sugars and preservatives added to your favorite desserts. It is harder for your body to break down those super processed sugars, as opposed to sugar in its raw form. I know plenty of people who say, “I just can’t resist” when it comes to desserts. If you have a sweet tooth, chances are it is hard for you to muster the will power to not have a serving, or two. But, as an exercise, try eating only the sweets you make yourself. Chances are you will eat less because you have to go through the process of making the dessert. And, making a batch of cookies is much better if you share them, I promise. Oh, and I just finished making and had a piece of  another, yes a second Peach Cobbler.

Don’t bring me chocolate unless is it 86% cacao.
Don’t make me a cake, bake me a croissant instead.
Don’t bring me fudge because a bag of chips will do. 
Bring me fresh fruit, and I will make it into a cobbler.
Guaranteed.

~ Now here is the recipe for the Peach Cobbler ~

Peach Cobbler

3 cups sliced fresh peaches                         1 cup all-purpose flour, unsifted
½ cup sugar                                                  1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon mace (sub.nutmeg)                1 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter
¾ cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, gently toss peach slices with sugar and mace and set aside. In the meantime, melt butter in an ovenproof rectangular baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and baking powder, stir in the milk. Pout this mixture into the baking dish on top of the butter, and then add the peaches. Bake for 1 hour. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.