Peach and Blueberry Kuchen

Janet here: When I was a child, peach kuchen was one of my favorite desserts. It was a happy night when I walked into the kitchen and smelled this, still slightly warm. This recipe is a variation on my mother's, which — sign of the times — called for canned peaches. Talk about sugar overkill! I can't imagine making this with anything other than fresh fruit. Depending on the season, you could use blueberries, raspberries, some combination of whatever berries you love, and maybe even apples.

Rachel here: Ok, so first of all, this stuff is seriously good. This is yet another recipe that I had never thought to get from my mother but, through blogging together, I now have (yes!). Anyway, after reading the recipe, I found myself wondering what exactly a kuchen is. What I discovered is that kuchen is simply German for cake and, as cake does, kuchen comes in a variety of forms. So anyway, there's a little German lesson for you. Regardless of the language you speak, though, this is a seriously delicious dessert.

Peach Kuchen

ingredients
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 baking powder
1/2 cup butter, cold
about 6 peaches, peeled and cut into wedges
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream

method
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, baking powder. Cut in the butter and work it (I use my fingers; others will use a food processor with a paddle) until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Place it in a 8 X 8 X 2" pan. Pat against the sides and bottom.

Mix the fruit with the rest of the sugar and cinnamon. (I also decided to add a few blueberries from my neighbor; basically you can try any of your favorite fruits with this I would think.)
Place the fruit in the pan.

Bake for 15 minutes.
Beat the yolks and cream together. Pour over the fruit after the 15 minutes are over and bake for another 30 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.