It’s peach season. Will you snack on the summer bounty or turn it into crisp?

It’s peach season. Not many things beat a fresh, juicy ripe peach — except maybe a hot-from-the-oven peach crisp. This week’s recipe is from The Pioneer Woman, and she serves it with a maple cream sauce. Hopefully you didn’t drool on your newspaper or keyboard as you read that.

Peach season begins in May and spans through mid-September, depending on where the peaches are coming from. Colorado and Georgia are both known for their peaches. According to a web page called The Peach Truck, 33 states grow peaches. That’s more than I’d imagined.

It seems to me that the peaches available in July are the sweet ones, and so it’s time for some baking. I suggest buying double what you need for this crisp because fresh peaches are pretty irresistible. They’re perfect for snacking on any time of day, and so is this peach crisp. Nothing beats a decadent dessert with a cup of coffee in the morning to start your day off right.

Years ago, Watermark Books brought The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, in for a book signing of her first cookbook. This was long before she became famous and had a TV show, and she was as delightfully charming then as she is now, although her stage personality has developed over time. Practice makes perfect.

Her easy approach to food and her step-by-step photos make her recipes very appealing to a starting-out cook, and they are tried and true. This crisp is no different. You’ll love how simple it is to make and how delicious it turns out.

Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce

6 whole fresh peaches

1 cup flour

½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

½ whole lemon

7 tablespoons real maple syrup, divided use

1 ½ cups whipping cream

3 tablespoons light corn syrup

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt using a fork or pastry cutter. Cut butter into small pieces and gradually add to flour mixture until evenly mixed. Peel peaches into a bowl. Add the zest from half a lemon. Squeeze juice from lemon half and stir in with peaches and zest. Add 2 tablespoons real maple syrup to peaches, stir well. Pour peach mixture into a small pan (8- or 9-inch square) and cover evenly with crumb topping. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp and brown on top.

Maple Cream Sauce: Pour whipping cream into a saucepan. Add 5 tablespoons real maple syrup, 3 tablespoons corn syrup and stir over moderate heat until thickened and reduced by about one-third, approximately 15 minutes. Refrigerate mixture until it is cold and thick, or set the saucepan into a small bowl of ice (the ice will melt and turn into ice water). Stirring your mixture, it will cool and thicken in about 15 minutes. Drizzle sauce over peach crisp. Serve warm.

ThePioneerWoman.com