Whiskey Peaches and a Trifle

I know I’m not the only one who’s headed out to a 4th of July party wherein the invitation reads, “Please bring a side or dessert to share.” I absolutely love a potluck, and, happily, this request coincides beautifully with the start of peach season. (Thank heavens.)

It will surprise none of you to hear that I spent most of Sunday afternoon in my kitchen, looking at more ripe peaches than any normal individual needs. I was elbow-deep in another foodie project and I knew the peaches needed tending to, STAT. In my defense, I only bought about half of them myself this time. My sweet next door neighbor brought me the rest.

When fresh peaches are fully ripe–let alone verging on overripe–they’re a bit of an emergency. I finished my other thing and seriously considered leaving those fat, fragrant, peaches until morning. Realizing that would benefit no one except the fruit flies, I dragged myself back into the kitchen. There wasn’t enough room for a basketful of peaches in the fridge, but something needed to be done.

Enter Whisky Peaches. Whisky Peaches are nothing more than sliced peaches macerated with sugar and some sort of liquor. I usually use bourbon, but I’ve used rum with excellent results. (I guess that would make those Rummy Peaches?) I keep eyeing the Chambord, though. And surely brandy wouldn’t make anybody mad. Anyway, Whisky Peaches are silly easy, and I can put them in a zipper bag if I need to, thus making them fit in the refrigerator, no problem. And on this particular day, I could get the Whiskey Peaches started, go take a bubble bath, then come back and pop them in the fridge to chill right before bedtime.

Whisky Peaches will keep for a few days and are very useful. You can use them over ice cream, on pound cake, as a topping for cheesecake, for filling shortcakes, over waffles, stirred into yogurt, buzzed in the blender and mixed into BBQ sauce, plopped on top of oatmeal, made into peach bushwackers (add dark rum to those, too), or served on top of a baked brie. You can freeze them and have frozen peach daiquiris on a moment’s notice. I once used some up by baking them into bread pudding. Actually, you could just put some Whiskey Peaches in a bowl, eat them with a little cold cream on top, and die happy.

But if you need to take a crowd-friendly dessert someplace this summer–even if it’s your own kitchen table–do yourself and your people a favor, and make Whiskey Peach Trifle. It’s beautiful and delicious. I use freezer pound cake, cream cheese, and Cool Whip, so it’s easy, too. I mean, it’s not that I don’t love y’all. I truly do, and you know it. But it’s 90° outside, I am having a ridiculously busy week, and I’m not about to make a pound cake from scratch. Sara Lee pound cake is fine in this, it really, really is. (And don’t stand there and tell me you don’t like Cool Whip. I wasn’t born yesterday.)

Whiskey Peaches

1 lb. fresh, ripe, peaches
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. bourbon

Slice the peaches. I don’t peel them, but you can if you prefer. Put sliced peaches in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and drizzle with the bourbon. Toss well. Allow to sit at room temperature for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 or 4 days.

Whisky Peach Trifle

1 recipe Whiskey Peaches
1 frozen pound cake, thawed
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
¼ cup brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 8 oz. container whipped topping, thawed
Blueberries or raspberries or fresh mint, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a sheet pan lightly with cooking spray. Cut the pound cake into 1” cubes and spread on the sheet pan. Bake for about 10 minutes until lightly toasted.

Beat the cream cheese with the brown sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, gently fold in the whipped topping until nicely combined.

Layer the trifle in a glass bowl or trifle dish like this: half the cake cubes, half the peaches, half the cream cheese mixture, repeat the layers and garnish with berries or mint if using. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.