This little dessert or afternoon tea pastry is just perfect on a beautiful summer day when peaches are in season, and are sweet, ripe and juicy! They are a cross between my Peach Flat Cake and my Orange Polenta Petits Fours. The mixture of ground almonds and stone-ground polenta gives these Peach Almond Polenta Squares a unique texture and flavor that blends so nicely with the fruit. The extra-virgin olive oil gives these a richness that is just superb –it brings me back to my Mediterranean heritage! You can also substitute the peaches for fresh apricot, mango, plums or strawberries when they are in season. You just cannot go wrong with these little gems!
Peach Almond Polenta Squares
I only use eggs from local farms where I know the hens are free to roam
Author: Catherine Katz
Serves: 15 squares
Ingredients
- 3 medium ripe peaches, skin on, rinsed and sliced
- ½ cup extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
- ⅓ cup pure cane sugar
- ¼ cup roasted unsalted almonds, freshly ground (that's 4 Tbsp ground)
- 3 Tbsp stone-ground Polenta
- 3 pasture-raised large eggs*
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 370 F.
- Place the olive oil, cane sugar, ground almonds, polenta, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl and stir well with a spoon.
- Add the whole wheat pastry flour and baking powder and stir well again.
- Pour the batter in a 10.5" by 7" rectangular baking dish, lightly greased with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Place the sliced peaches on top of the batter.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Let cool and cut into 15 squares (5 by 3).
placing sliced peaches on top of batter
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