peach crumble slab pie.

I feel really bad that I don't have a picture of the final product but it's been one of those weeks.  The best I can offer you is this picture which you will hopefully find just as enticing as a photo of the end result.   (UPDATE - I was able to get a picture of the last slice!  See below.)

I've developed somewhat of a love affair with slab pie.  I like that it's portable and capable of feeding a crowd.  It just begs to be consumed on a blanket in the middle of the park.  And a peach pie slab pie? Well that just says August.  

This one is absurdly good.  6 POUNDS OF PEACHES get nestled in a buttery crust and topped with a spiced crumble.  It's an epic pie perfectly capable of feeding the masses and an incredible way to close out the summer.  

Peach Crumble Slab Pie
Recipe from the NYTimes

So!  I halved the recipe (it halves brilliantly).  In the original recipe it stated it serves 12-16 (for a 9x13 pan).  I think I would serve closer to 18 - 24.  I guess I like dainty pie slices?    

For the Crust

2 ½ cups/300 grams all-purpose flour, more as needed

¾ teaspoon/4 grams fine sea salt

2 ½ sticks/10 ounces/285 grams cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 to 6 tablespoons ice water, as needed

For the Filling

6 pounds ripe peaches, nectarines or a mix, pitted and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

1 ¼ cups/135 grams packed light brown sugar, more to taste

⅓ cup/50 grams instant tapioca

Zest of 3 lemons

3 tablespoons/45 milliliters fresh lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoons/5 grams finely grated nutmeg

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped, or 1 teaspoon/5 milliliters vanilla extract

1 teaspoon/6 grams fine sea salt

For the Crumble Topping

1 ½ cups/180 grams all-purpose flour

1 cup/200 grams packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons/10 grams ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons/3 grams ground ginger

½ teaspoon/3 grams fine sea salt

1 ½ sticks/6 ounces/170 grams unsalted butter, cubed

In a food processor, briefly pulse together flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms chickpea-size pieces (6 to 8 1-second pulses). Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse until mixture is just moist enough to hold together. Form dough into a large ball. Wrap with plastic and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Using a lightly floured rolling pin, gently roll out dough to an 11-x-15-inch rectangle, dusting with flour if dough is sticking. Fold dough in half and transfer to a 9-x-13-inch baking dish. Carefully press crust into the bottom of the pan and completely up the edges so it’s flush with the top of the pan (you don’t need to crimp the dough). Return crust to refrigerator while you prepare the filling and crumble topping.

For the Filling: In a large bowl, toss together peaches, sugar, tapioca, lemon zest and juice, nutmeg, vanilla and salt. Let stand 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and add a little more sugar if needed.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on the oven floor to preheat. Arrange one oven rack on the lowest position and a second rack in the center position.

For the Crumble Topping: Whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Mix in butter with your fingertips until mixture is uniformly moist and comes together in large clumps.

Spoon filling into crust and top with crumble. Move baking sheet to the lowest rack and place pie on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Move baking sheet with pie to the center rack. Continue baking until pie is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Note: Measurements for dry ingredients are given by metric weight for greater accuracy. The equivalent measurements by volume are approximate.

kale and peach salad.

Besides a pool, the thing I long for most come summertime is central air.  Central air spoiled me because IT IS THE GREATEST THING EVER.  Window air-conditioners just don't satisfy the way air pouring out of a vent from a wall does.  And unless you are one of the lucky ones to have access to such a luxury, you don't turn on the oven during that summer stretch of awful sticky and humid 90-degree days.  Trust me.  There is nothing worse.  

For that reason dinner becomes a series of meals centered around raw and refrigerated food.  It forces you to get creative.  Salad creative that is.  I can't even begin to tell you how many ingredients I have tried throwing into a pile of lettuce.  There have been some misses, but for the most part salads are pretty forgiving. The real fun is when you hit upon a combo that just works.  The salad itself becomes satisfying and you find yourself eating the entire platter.

There is no formal recipe for my new favorite but the beauty of a salad is it shouldn't require you to be precise. This one takes full advantage of the August farmers market bounty and is a nice way to incorporate those crazy good peaches in a savory way.   

Kale and Peach Salad

I'm one of those people who likes a lot of add-ins (this is why I always have a high proportion of toppings to actual Fro-Yo).  Feel free to use the lesser amounts of pistachios and blue cheese if you are not as topping happy as me.  

Serves 2 as a meal  

One small bunch of Dinosaur kale, center ribs removed and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

1 peach, washed, halved, pitted and thinly sliced

1/3 - 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (the best is Jasper Hill's Bayley Hazen Blue)

1/4 - 1/3 cup pistachios

1 tablespoon pepitas 

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar + additional for drizzling at the end

2 tablespoons olive oil + additional for drizzling at then end

Place the kale in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Toss with the olive oil and sherry vinegar. Let sit for a couple of minutes and then spread on a platter.  Top with the sliced peach, blue cheese, pistachios, and pepitas.  Season with additional salt and pepper and drizzle some extra olive oil and sherry vinegar over the top.  Eat.  

peach cobbler.

Summer is supposed to be that magical time where you spend weekends at bodies of water.  Meals are to be eaten alfresco and composed of the only the best in-season produce.  Clothes should be easy - bathing suits, cut-off shorts, oversized button-downs (as a cover-up), white tee-shirts.  Hair should air-dry.  Days should be spent devouring good books and magazines or perhaps playing card games. S'mores and ice cream should be consumed with abandon.

But summer more often then not is a series of pre-planned activities.  The months fill up quickly with weddings and trips.   Lazy days are replaced with over-stuffed itineraries - summer somehow loses it's free-spirited appeal. But if you are lucky, you can find time for one glorious summer day.  The kind of perfect summer day you hope to have every weekend but in actuality happens once a season.

I had mine this past weekend.  It involved a beach trip and ham sandwiches.  There was a dolphin sighting and books devoured.  A beer garden was visited, large pretzels were consumed, and the evening ended with the cheapest ice cream sundae I've ever come across. It was spontaneous and easy and it made me insanely happy.

If you don't have the time to make it to the beach or to your summer happy place, this peach cobbler can help. It's everything summer should be.  

Peach Cobbler

Recipe from Leite’s Culinaria

Serves 8 (Can easily be halved)

4 1/2 pounds (about 10 large) peaches, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch chunks or slices

Zest and juice of 1 lemon, preferably organic

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups (about 192 grams) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup whole milk 

1/2 cup hot water

Heavy cream, cold, for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, pressing it into the edges of the pan and allowing a little excess foil to hang over the edge of the sheet.

Place the peaches in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and pat them in a roughly even layer. Using a zester or a Microplane, finely zest the lemon evenly over the peaches and then squeeze the lemon juice evenly over the peaches, too, catching any seeds before they plummet into the baking dish and get lost among the peaches.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until sandy, about 1 minute. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat again for another 30 seconds, until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture is evenly crumbly. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the milk. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes more.

Plop the batter in 6 large blobs over the peaches. With an offset spatula or small knife, carefully spread the batter evenly over the fruit so it’s no more than about 1/2 inch thick in any place.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup sugar over the batter. Then drizzle the hot water evenly over the sugar to melt the sugar into the topping. (Yes, it’s a strange method, but it works. Trust us.)

Place the baking dish on the foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the top is cracked and golden brown. (You’ll want to start checking it at 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the topping should come out dry—just be sure to check it in a few places.)

peach shortbread.

Last night marked the start of the Lovely Lady League aka the Fantasy Football league I am part of.  If you know me, you will know I spent the majority of the college football games that I attended reading the latest fashion magazines rather then actually paying attention to what was going on.  The fact that I am part of a Fantasy Football league is as shocking to me as it probably is to you.  I still don't watch the games (I find the sport rather dull) but Fantasy Football is like a really fun game and I can always get behind really fun games.

Getting a group of girls together on a Monday night to draft their football teams means plenty of snacks will be provided.  And good snacks! Nothing like what I imagine a group of guys would put together (namely cold pizza and even colder beer). Girls bring things like kale salads, smoky eggplant dip, lots of hummus and peach shortbread bars which was part of my contribution.

Peach shortbread bars beg to be served to a crowd and this particular recipe is a real crowd-pleaser. Tender subtly sweet and barely spiced shortbread provides the perfect base for juicy-at-the-peak-of-ripeness peaches.  The whole thing is topped with some of the remaining crumbled shortbread which makes this bar like a peach crumble pie/cookie hybrid which may be the best kind of hybrid out there.  

Peach Shortbread

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

You can halve this and bake it in a 8 x 8 pan instead.  If you do halve it, you can still use the full egg or just a yolk.  

1 cup (7 ounces or 200 grams) white sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (12 5/8 ounces or 359 grams) cups all-purpose flour (or you can measure 3 cups and remove 2 tablespoons flour) (you can also do a combo of all-purpose and whole wheat like I did!)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon (2 grams) salt
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces or 227 grams) cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
2 peaches, pitted and thinly sliced (between 1/8 and 1/4-inch thick)

Brown your butter: Melt butter in a small/medium saucepan over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Keep your eyes on it; it burns very quickly after it browns and the very second that you turn around to do something else. Set it in the freezer until solid (about 30 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 9×13 inch pan, or spray it with a nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, baking powder, flour, salt and spices with a whisk. Use a pastry blender, fork or your fingertips, blend the solidified brown butter and egg into the flour mixture. It will be crumbly. Pat 3/4 of the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing firmly. Tile peach slices over crumb base in a single layer. Scatter remaining crumbs evenly over peaches and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until top is slightly brown and you can see a little color around the edges. Cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

Keeping: I’ve kept mine in the fridge and they've held up great there since Monday. I imagine that these would freeze well, between layers of waxed paper, with the container sealed well in plastic wrap.

peach crepes.

I am obsessed with these crepes.  And really that's all I have to say about this recipe.  

Crepes are the ideal lazy Saturday breakfast because sometimes breakfast should be special, something beyond the standard eggs over easy and toast.  

To note, crepe cooking/flipping is an art as I discovered as I tried unsuccessfully to make perfectly thin un-ripped crepes.  Regardless of your success level, you can arrange them on the plate in an artful fashion that disguises your mistakes (as I did with mine).  These crepes are filling and satisfying due to the addition of almond flour. This is an ingredient I've loved using as of late since the nutty taste pairs beautifully with late summer stone fruits.  Now is the time to make these before stone fruit produce is gone.  

Peach Crepes
Crepe recipe from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman 

Crepe batter is best when it is allowed to sit overnight in the fridge.  If you do that, breakfast cooking is absurdly easy.  

Serves 2 ( I got about 6 crepes so 3 for each!)

For the peaches

2 peaches, halved, pitted, and sliced thin
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 tablespoon sugar

For the crepes

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup almond flour
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cups milk or almond milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
Powdered sugar for dusting

Cook the peaches: In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.  When the butter is melted, add the peaches to the pan along with the cinnamon and sugar.  Stir the peaches around so everyone in the skillet gets coated with the butter/sugar mixture.  Cook the peaches until they begin to release their juices and then the jucices begin to thicken, about 5 minutes.  Remove the peaches from the pan and set aside.  

Rinse the skillet in order to make the crepes.  

Prepare the crepes: Whisk together all the ingredients except the unmelted butter until smooth; you can do this in a blender.  If the mixture isn't quite pourable add a little more milk.  If time allows, let the batter rest in the fridge for at least an hour, and up to 24 hours.  

Cook the crepes: Put your non-stick  skillet over medium heat and wait a couple of minutes; add a small pat of butter.  Stir the batter with a large spoon or ladle; add a couple of tablespoons of the batter to the skillet.  Swirl it around so that it forms a thin layer on the bottom of the pan, then pour the excess batter back into that which remains.  

When the top of the crepe is dry, after about a minute, turn and cook the other side for 15 - 30 seconds.  (The crepe should brown only very slightly and not be crisp.)  Bear in mind the first crepe is always the worst looking. Consider it the one to taste test!

Repeat the process, adding butter to the pan and adjusting the heat as necessary.  

Asembling the crepes: Place a couple of wedges of peach and juices in the center of each crepe, and then fold the bottom of the crepe up over the filling.  Fold in the sides, and the fold the top down (like a present).  Repeat with remaining crepes. Pour any remaining peach wedges and juices over the top of the crepes. 

Serve immediately with a dusting of powdered sugar.  

almond-crisped peaches.

September is coming.  

While I can't deny my excitement for the impending arrival of fall - my over-sized blazers can emerge from storage, loafers will soon be my footwear of choice, weekends can actually be spent standing over my stove instead of in front of my air conditioner, there is something always heartbreaking about labor day weekend. The fact that work weeks will actually be full work weeks again, that Friday's don't necessarily mean an early close, that I can't get peaches at the market anymore.  

This was a good year for peaches.  They were juicy and impossibly sweet.  The kind of fruit to eat while standing in a field in cut-off Levis and a white tee-shirt, juices dripping down your chin, a smile on your face.  
This peach recipe is the simplest of simple.  The perfect way to celebrate the end of summer and the fleeing days of freedom.  The kind of thing to be eaten for at the end of an alfresco dinner party or for a lazy Sunday morning brunch. Yes, this can be an elegant breakfast or an equally elegant dessert which is why I love this recipe so much.  

So long summer, you came and went to fast.  

Almond-Crisped Peaches
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

I couldn't resist messing with this recipe.  Mostly because I saw this as an opportunity to use my bourbon smoked sugar since bourbon and peaches go together like peanut butter and jelly.  (Which reminds me I still need to make my peach infused bourbon, I see this as a weekend project!)  Obviously regular sugar can be used since this recipe is utterly adaptable.  

4 ripe peaches

1/3 cup (55 grams) almond flour

1/4 cup bourbon barrel smoked sugar (can be found here) or raw sugar or light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnaomon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt

3 tablespoons (45 grams) butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Halve peaches and remove pits. Place fruit cut side up in baking dish. In a bowl combine the almond flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and sea salt.  Pour the melted butter over the top and stir to combine. Spoon the almond mixture into the center of each peach, then press it flat, as if icing the tops of the peaches with it. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (baking time varies with peach size), until the top is brown and crisp and you can easily slice through the fruit with a fork or spoon.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with creme fraiche, lightly sweetened whipped cream or even plain yogurt, cold, for breakfast.

roasted jalapeno peach jam.

As of late, jam has been on my mind.  It started when I realized I had already blown through my stash of strawberry jam in less than 2 months.  (Peanut butter and jelly is a staple of my diet and I have no shame in admitting I am partial to lunches usually favored by those under the age of 10.)  I mourned this loss and then I realized its summer and fresh fruit is everywhere and just because strawberry season is over doesn’t mean I can’t have cherry jam or apricot jam or some other delightful flavor.  

But then on Friday while the boy and I dined at one of those cozy wine bars where you need a flashlight to read the menu (candles while romantic and pretty are not always conducive to studying menus), I had a light bulb moment about jam.   We ordered a cheese and charcuterie plate that came with a sweet and spicy apricot mustard spread that made me realize I had been thinking about jam all wrong.  Jam doesn’t need to be a singular flavor to be used solely as a topping for toast or as a filling for cookies, it can be multi-dimensional and composed of unusual flavors.  With that thought roasted jalapeno peach jam was born. 

This jam begs for grilled cheese, a charcuterie board, or a roast chicken sandwich.  It’s bold and assertive but not overpowering.  The jalapeno heat is subtle but present.  The peach is sweet yet not cloying.  It’s balanced and perfect and I love it on toast with a side of scrambled eggs since a little heat at breakfast is always a good thing. 

Roasted Jalapeno Peach Jam

Makes about 2 cups

About 2 pounds of peaches, peeled and diced (awesome tutorial here about how to peel peaches)

1 jalapeno

1 cup sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Roast the jalapeno.  You can do this over an open flame, turning the jalapeno until it blackens on all sides or in the oven by roasting for 10 minutes at 500 degrees until the jalapeno is black (turn the jalapeno on occasion).  Place the blackened jalapeno in a plastic bag and let rest for about 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle. 

Scrape the skin off the jalapeno and then seed and mince it.  Place the jalapeno in a large bowl along with the diced peaches.  Pour the sugar and lemon juice over the peach/jalapeno mixture and stir to coat.  Cover the bowl and let sit for about 3 hours to allow the fruit to macerate.  (If you can’t get back to the jam in 3 hours, you can let it macerate overnight in the fridge). 

Pour the macerated peach mixture into a heavy bottomed pot.  Allow the mixture to cook over medium heat for about 10 -12 minutes or until the peaches begin to breakdown and the mixture thickens slightly.  Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes. 

Transfer ¾ of the peach mixture to a blender or food processor (if you prefer a chunkier jam you can transfer only half if you prefer a smooth jam, transfer all of it) and puree until smooth.  Return the mixture to the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 – 12 minutes (stir on occasion to prevent scorching).  To test if the jam is ready, drop a heaping teaspoonful onto a plate and slightly tilt the plate. The jam should not run off, but cling and slowly glide down. If the jam isn’t ready, put it back on the heat for a while.

When cool, spoon the jam into a jar and refrigerate.  Use within 2 months of making. 

peach ginger muffins.

I love making things as complicated and difficult as possible.  If you ask me to bring a dish to a party I will spend several days deciding on a dish (usually the most complicated one) and then I will decide that one dish isn’t enough and I really need to make two things (what if someone doesn’t like the first option!) and then I will fret that it doesn’t look perfect (because appearance is everything).  I apparently like to torture myself. 

This past Friday, it was my turn to bring in breakfast for my group at work.  Generally, this means people bring in bagels, juice, and several types of cream cheese but I refused to do that.  This was my chance to make the plethora of breakfast recipes I have stashed away (because making a dozen muffins for Tyler and me always seems like a silly idea.)  I relished in the thought of making cinnamon buns and breakfast cakes and lots of muffins.  I somehow managed to convince myself that I only needed to make three different breakfast items (I was able to talk myself down from five!) and I knew I wanted to incorporate as many seasonal fruits as possible which led me to these peach ginger muffins.

I adore peaches.  They work amazingly well in both sweet and savory applications but I love them most when paired with ginger.  Something about the spiciness of the ginger plays off perfectly with the sweetness of a peach; it is one of those perfect combinations.  I was drawn to these peach ginger muffins because they incorporated crème fraiche, which gives an amazing tang to cakes and muffins, and I imagined that tang would pair perfectly with the fruit; that thought turned out to be correct.  These are the muffins of my dream, light and fluffy with a generous amount of fruit and spice.  They bake up beautifully golden brown and I found they stayed perfectly moist the next day, which is always a plus in my book. 

Peach Ginger Muffins

Recipie Adapted From Flour by Joanne Chang

Makes 18 Muffins (Says it makes 12 but I got a lot more!)

3 ¼ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 eggs plus 1 yolk
1 1/3 cups sugar

1 ¼ sticks butter, melted

1 cup milk (I only had skim so I used that but mixed in a splash of heavy cream!)

1 cup crème fraiche (I used a buttermilk crème friche combo which worked perfectly)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped

½ - 1 teaspoon ground ginger (depending on how much you like ginger)

3 large or 4 smaller peaches, diced (I removed the skin but I think you could leave it on)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin tin with liners or spray it with non stick spray.  In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ginger.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and then add the sugar, butter, milk, crème fraiche, and vanilla. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and fold gently using a spatula.  Fold in the peaches and crystallized ginger.  Spoon into the muffin tin to fill the cups completely.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until the muffin tops are golden brown and let cool for 20 minutes before removing from the pan. 

sautéed peach french toast.

My favorite breakfast is scrambled eggs with goat cheese and chives (and lots of black pepper) and a side of toast with butter and jam.  The boy in my life prefers French toast.  Lots and lots of pieces of custardy French toast. (He loves it so much that it would be his last meal on earth!)  I’ll leave it that we agree to disagree on the perfect breakfast.  (I will admit that I enjoy finishing my own breakfast with a bite of his French toast, nothing like ending on a sweet note.)

When Tyler saw there was leftover buttermilk bread from the BLT sandwich it made his eyes lit up with the thought of fluffy homemade French toast.  Considering the number of dishes I made while bread and cookie making I figured he deserved it.  I made a custardy base of milk and eggs and added in a generous amount of cinnamon and ginger so each slice would have a good amount of spice.  I thinly sliced some peaches and mixed them with some sugar, cinnamon, and ginger and sautéed them in a little butter.  I thought they would be a nice surprise in between the layers of rich bread.  I cooked the French toast until it was nice and golden brown on each side, topped each slice with some peaches, and then drizzled the whole thing with maple syrup.  It was a breakfast that made him happy (and I loved finishing my eggs with several bites of French toast!).

Sautéed Peach French Toast

Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything

Serves 1 generously but it can serve 2

The type of bread you use is very important when making French toast.  I personally prefer a light and fluffy bread. Challah or Brioche is my personal favorite.  You also want to slice you bread the night before and leave it to dry out, helps the bread hold up to the custard much better the next day!  This would also be good with any variety of fruits; I’ve made it with apples before and had equally delicious results. 

For the French toast

1 Egg

½ cup milk (I used buttermilk since I had extra on hand but regular milk works)

Dash of salt

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon butter (or more as needed)

4 slices of bread

For the peaches

1 large peach, thinly sliced

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon butter

For the peaches:  In a large bowl combine the peaches, cinnamon, ginger, and sugar.  Set asise.  In a pan heat the butter, once melted add the peaches to the pan and cook stirring occasionally until the peaches are soft and just beginning to carmelize.  Place peaches on a plate and set aside.

For the French toast: Beat egg in a large bowl and the stir in the milk, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.  Pre heat your skilled on medium heat with melted butter.  Dip bread in slices in custard and shake off excess.  Place slices of bread into the pan.  Cook until browned on each side, turning as necessary.  When cooked through, transfer to a plate.  Top each slice with ¼ of the peaches.  Repeat with remaining slices of bread. Drizzle with maple syrup.