Use for peach caramel pie goo?
September 18, 2024 6:57 AM Subscribe
Do you know how to make this thick liquid into a pudding, mousse, or something else good?
I made this a couple of days ago, and when it was time to put on the topping, my peaches were submerged in lots of liquid, unlike in the photos. The peaches had retained their shape and the caramel came out very firm, so I’m thinking the peaches must have just released a whole lot more juice than expected. I ladled off a lot of it before proceeding so that the topping wouldn’t be drowned. I couldn’t bear to toss it, so now I’ve got 1.25 cups of caramelly-peachy goo in the fridge. It’s about the consistency of a smoothie. The flavor is great but the corn starch is unpleasant.
How might I try to make it into something, without risking too many good ingredients on an experiment? My first thought was something frozen, but I don’t have an ice cream maker. Maybe a pudding, custard, or mousse — can you tell me how? If that doesn’t sound likely to work, maybe just add eggs and use as a soak for french toast?
As a bonus question, would it do any harm to freeze it before using it as you’d suggest, once we’re not still eating the crisp?
I made this a couple of days ago, and when it was time to put on the topping, my peaches were submerged in lots of liquid, unlike in the photos. The peaches had retained their shape and the caramel came out very firm, so I’m thinking the peaches must have just released a whole lot more juice than expected. I ladled off a lot of it before proceeding so that the topping wouldn’t be drowned. I couldn’t bear to toss it, so now I’ve got 1.25 cups of caramelly-peachy goo in the fridge. It’s about the consistency of a smoothie. The flavor is great but the corn starch is unpleasant.
How might I try to make it into something, without risking too many good ingredients on an experiment? My first thought was something frozen, but I don’t have an ice cream maker. Maybe a pudding, custard, or mousse — can you tell me how? If that doesn’t sound likely to work, maybe just add eggs and use as a soak for french toast?
As a bonus question, would it do any harm to freeze it before using it as you’d suggest, once we’re not still eating the crisp?
I am a bit confused by the cornstarch reference. I‘d have expected that to be fully dissolved. If it isn’t, I‘d heat up the juice to get it to dissolve and be cooked. This may solve the cornstarch problem.
If the concern is texture, I’d stir it into Greek yogurt to make peach caramel Greek yogurt or just add to any fruit purée when heating the fruit. For that matter, I’d also just add it to a smoothie for example. Anything really, that has a bit of texture in its own right will help the texture angle. I can’t see a reason not to freeze it for later use.
posted by koahiatamadl at 7:23 AM on September 18
If the concern is texture, I’d stir it into Greek yogurt to make peach caramel Greek yogurt or just add to any fruit purée when heating the fruit. For that matter, I’d also just add it to a smoothie for example. Anything really, that has a bit of texture in its own right will help the texture angle. I can’t see a reason not to freeze it for later use.
posted by koahiatamadl at 7:23 AM on September 18
Best answer: With similar byproducts, I have usually made a trifle with the sauce as one of the layers. I agree with heating it first for the cornstarch issue.
posted by warriorqueen at 9:33 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
posted by warriorqueen at 9:33 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Can you clarify-- is the cornstarch dissolved in the goo, or are there lumps? I would strain out the lumps then cook it down further into a jam/pudding situation and just eat that with ice cream, or as a parfait/trifle sort of thing with cake, fruit, and pudding.
You could also cook it down further like a jam, then put that in a puff pastry crust with a brie for a baked brie.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:23 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
You could also cook it down further like a jam, then put that in a puff pastry crust with a brie for a baked brie.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:23 AM on September 18 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: blnkfrnk, there aren't any lumps -- just a starchy mouthfeel and flavor. Whatever I end up doing, sounds like I should heat it to get rid of that flavor.
posted by daisyace at 6:06 PM on September 18 [1 favorite]
posted by daisyace at 6:06 PM on September 18 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure it will work exactly like a jam if you're getting a starchy taste from the cornstarch already, but it should work like a cornstarch pudding. You could try adding more juice (peach nectar from the can or apple juice or something like that) to try to dilute the starch some.
In the future, ClearJel will prevent the starchy taste you get sometimes with cornstarch as a thickener and you can use it 1:1.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:38 AM on September 19
In the future, ClearJel will prevent the starchy taste you get sometimes with cornstarch as a thickener and you can use it 1:1.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:38 AM on September 19
Response by poster: Well, it's not fantastic, but it's not a disaster. First, I knew I wanted to heat it to get rid of the cornstarch flavor, and I figured I'd aim for a pudding. I scalded some milk and sugar, added the goo, brought to a boil, and cooked it a minute. Upon tasting, I decided it needed more sugar, salt, and cream, and I put in dashes of vanilla and almond extracts too. I chilled it and found it was a kind of weird pudding -- a little too loose, oddly tangy for a dairy pudding, and still leaving a starchy mouthfeel. I decided to try folding it into some whipped cream, and that successfully mellowed out the tang and achieved a moussey texture, but the mouthfeel still bugged me. So finally, I froze it, stirring it with a fork in intervals to keep it from freezing too solid, aiming for kind of a semifreddo. I'll quit there. It's good enough that we'll eat it, if not my favorite dessert ever. I think the trifle idea might have gone better, or maybe the baked brie, but I didn't have or want to make or acquire cake or puff pastry and brie to potentially waste on it. Thank you for the suggestions!
posted by daisyace at 6:24 PM on September 19 [1 favorite]
posted by daisyace at 6:24 PM on September 19 [1 favorite]
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Personally, I'd go savory with it and add Vietnamese flavors to it--something along the lines of a fish sauce caramel. I think you could make something truly incredible if you subbed in the peach liquid for the sugar in this recipe, then reduced it slowly as the recipe describes.
posted by yellowcandy at 7:19 AM on September 18