Episode 43 – Pesche, Italian Peach Wedding Cookies

Episode 43
March 27, 2011
Pesche, Italian Peach Wedding Cookies

This is another viewer request episode – although I’m a few months late getting this episode out.  Sorry Maria!  In addition, this video plus next week’s video feature me with allergies (boo!) so I’m not at the top of my game.  Fortunately, these recipes are cookies so I was able to keep up with my blog without having to exert a ton of energy and time.  However, I’m all better now so I should be on the top of my pastry game for another year!  Haha – let’s hope.

Anyway back to the episode, Maria had contacted me through youtube asking me about the name of a dessert she had from a bake shop that stopped producing them.  Unfortunately, I had never heard of it before and the dessert I was imagining was completely different than what she was describing so my google searching wasn’t helping.  Eventually, she found the dessert on her own and this is what it was!

Pesche is apparently a popular peach cookie for Italian weddings and is often served at the reception.  Even more so, it sounds like that it is normally made by family members as opposed to caterers.  Either way, pesche is traditionally filled with a peach custard (peach pastry cream most likely) and sealed with chocolate and topped off with an edible leaf – either made of gum paste or royal icing.  However, I decided to use the raspberry filling I used for the linzer cookie episode (mostly) because I had an extra pouch left over and because it doesn’t need to be refrigerated.  A custard, or even a peach preserve filling, would need to be refrigerated.  In addition, cookies that were filled with custard would get soggy much faster than other fillings.  Custards also don’t have a long life because as they get older they actually separate and water leaks out – making your cookies even more mushy – or the custard will just spoil.  However, according to the comments for the original pesche recipe custard is superior in flavor than any other option.  If you’re able to serve them the same day, try using peach pastry cream.  Speaking of pastry cream, I don’t have a peach specific pastry cream however it shouldn’t be difficult to turn the pastry cream recipe I do have into peach.  Replace half of the milk with peach nectar (easily found in the juice section in most grocery stores, organic grocery stores, and international food markets) and make the recipe normally.

Once the dough is ready, you roll the cookies into 1″ balls and squish them down onto a sheet pan.  The next step after they are baked is to carve out a hole, or pocket, with a knife while they are warm.  I wanted to try poking a hole into the bottom of the cookie to see if I could skip the knife step.  Unfortunately, it didn’t really work.  The cookies spread more than I expected so the hole I poked filled up in most of the cookies.  However, some of them did keep the shape I formed.  For the other cookies that filled the hole up, there was a definite difference between where I poked the hole and the rest of the cookie.  This made it easier to scoop out, and at the very least provided a guide of where I wanted the hole to go.  It might be worth trying it out when you make the cookie.

Traditionally, these cookies (once filled) are dipped in peach brandy.  I wasn’t exactly sure how this would work since the brandy would just make the cookies super soggy.  I know that alcohol tends to evaporate quickly, but the cookie is still soggy and wet until that point.  Many comments on the original recipe noted that they also found the brandy to be overwhelming when the cookie was dipped.  They suggested brushing it on with a pastry brush, and I strongly agree.  The flavor is appropriate and the cookie doesn’t get as soggy.  It is still wet enough to roll in the granulated sugar as well.  I was a little wary about rolling the cookie in granulated sugar (I was thinking that it might get unbearably sweet) but it was fine plus the fine matte texture and appearance the sugar imparted made the cookie look really nice.

In the video I don’t take the time to make the royal icing leaf just because sometimes things aren’t really practical for me to do for either cost reasons or time constraints.  Most of the time, I give away my desserts to friends, co-workers, or the people at my dog’s doggy daycare after eating maybe one or two pieces.  I know what you’re thinking – it doesn’t take much time to make royal icing, color it, pipe it, and wait for it to dry.  And you’re right.  But because I needed such a small amount and because it doesn’t contribute anything but color I just didn’t want to make it >.< but after saying all that, if you do make these cookies you may want to make the royal icing leaves – especially if you’re doing it for a party.  The cookies really do look like little peaches (albeit a little flat of course) and a green leaf would really help wrap up the effect.

Anyway, if I’m done making excuses we can go ahead and move on to the videos!  Enjoy the video below – it’s only about 12 minutes long this time – and here is the recipe for pesche, Italian peach wedding cookies (and the pastry cream recipe if you missed it earlier in the post).  Thank you for watching!