Bridget's Recipe Corner

A couple of weeks ago I went to a cooking class at Il Fornaio restaurant in the Tech Center. It was a lot of fun and the food was tasty, as usual. The chef prepared a dessert using fresh peaches. It was decadent and delicious. Given the fact it's peach season here and I haven't made anything with peaches recently, I was inspired to make something a bit decadent as well. With the help of my 14-year-old, this cake and sauce were the result. It was still slightly warm when I served it... yummy! Hope you enjoy it too.

Paradise Peach Pound Cake - (I didn't know what else to call it)

The Cake:

1 c. butter, softened

2 c. sugar

6 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1/4 - 1/2 t. almond extract

1/2 c. Ricotta cheese

1/2 c. sour cream

3 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 1/2 c. peaches, preferably from Colorado, peeled and diced

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a Bundt pan, sprinkle with sugar and set aside. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at time. Using mixer, beat well after each egg. In small bowl, blend flour, soda and salt, mixing well. In small batches, beat in flour to butter/egg mixture alternating with Ricotta cheese and sour cream. Mixture will be thick & heavy, but continue beating until it's well blended. Gently fold in diced peaches, mixing well. Carefully pour into prepared pan. Bake in oven approximately 60 minutes, or until done.

The Sauce:

1/2 c. Mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1/2 - 3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

Place all ingredients in medium-sized bowl. Using mixer, blend until light and smooth. Set aside.

2-3 peaches, peeled and sliced

1/2- 3/4 c. Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato (available in the store - a must try)

Place peaches in bowl and pour Moscato over the top, mixing well. Let sit at least 30 minutes, but longer if you have time.

When ready to serve cake, I added the peaches to the Mascarpone/sugar mixture. Stir well. Serve on top of sliced cake. Can be enjoyed with a glass of the leftover Moscato if you like.

Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato is a delicious treat on its own, but was a wonderful compliment to this dessert. It's in my current staff picks, come check it out... I just love it!