SHORTCUT TO MAKING PEACH TURNOVERS

This has been a great year for peaches: juicy and tender with a sweet flavor I haven`t experienced in years. And fortunately, the peach season is a long one. I anticipate having peaches in my kitchen through mid-September.

Take advantage of peaches while they last and bake your way through a week of luscious desserts including pies, cobblers and crisps.

Don`t worry if time is a problem. You can take short cuts.

After a lifetime of making pastry doughs from scratch I`ve finally given in to ready-made crusts and dough. I find that the convenience products make up for in ease what they may lack in delicacy. They`re also more versatile than my standard pastry recipes.

For example, I use refrigerated pizza crust in a tube to make a peach calzone. I just roll out the dough and fill half of it with a mixture of sliced peaches, sugar, cinnamon and a little flour or cornstarch for thickening. Then I fold it in half, crimp and bake until golden.

I also do a variation of this, spreading the filling on the dough and rolling it up like a jelly roll. I slice the roll into 1-inch thick slices. Place the slices, cut-side up in a pan and bake. This is great with vanilla ice cream.

I wrap crescent rolls around sweetened peach slices, bake and serve for breakfast or brunch.

As one who used to sweat over puff pastry (the worst thing you can do to this heat-sensitive dough), I`ve come to appreciate packaged puff pastry. It makes a good-tasting and very fast version of peach turnovers.

Now as peaches are slowly disappearing from the market, I`m baking as fast as I can.

Here`s my simple version of peach turnovers. Don`t worry if you overpack peaches into the crust. But make sure peach juices don`t dribble off the baking sheet onto the oven. Serve this dessert with custard sauce or vanilla ice cream.

PEACH TURNOVERS

1 rounded cup peeled and sliced peaches

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Flour

1 sheet puff pastry 10 inches long, 3 inches wide (see Note)

Custard Sauce (recipe follows)

In bowl gently stir together peaches, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and lemon juice.

On lightly floured board, cut puff pastry into 2 (5x3-inch) pieces. Roll 1 at time to a 6-inch square. Spoon half of peach mixture into center of each square. Fold squares into triangles to cover peaches. Press edges of puff pastry with tines of fork to seal.

Place triangles on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Prepare Custard Sauce while peach triangles bake.

To serve arrange peach triangles on each of 2 plates. Top each with half of Custard Sauce or pass on side. Serve warm. Makes 2 servings.

NOTE: Buy 1 package of frozen puff pastry and cut off required sheet. Return remainder to freezer for other recipes.

CUSTARD SAUCE

1 egg

2 tablespoons sugar

Dash salt

2/3 cup half-and-half or milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Beat egg, sugar and salt together in heatproof bowl.

Bring half-and-half to simmer in small pot. Pour 1/4 cup of half-and-half over egg mixture and stir well. Then pour egg mixture into pot. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is consistency of thin cake batter. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour sauce through sieve to remove any lumps. Makes 2/3 cup.

(Bev Bennett is the author of four cookbooks including the award-winning ``Dinner for Two,`` Barron`s.)

(c) 2000, Bev Bennett. Distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

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Author: Bev Bennett