Kuchen

Today, I will bake.

I will remember, I will be sad, I will meditate.

I will honor the tragic memory of  September 11, 2001.

But I won’t write about it. Not today.

Instead, I’ll share a memory, and a recipe.

Home Economics.  It was required for all girls, while the boys went to Shop class. That gender bias was to be remedied much later, but it worked for the mid 1960’s.

Kuchen was the first item we mastered, and I proudly shared the recipe with my mother, copied on an index card in my 9th grade handwriting. **

It is the German word for cake, but a much less sweet and lighter version, almost like a cross between cake/bread/pie crust, and great when topped with fresh fruit, or canned fruit filling.

There are many variations using yeast and custard filling. This one has neither, and only features 2 Tablespoons of sugar in an 8 inch pie.

It was a perfect solution for the basket of peaches that ripened all at once while I was away.

A simple recipe. A heartwarming memory. Always a family favorite.

Peach Kuchen

Sift together 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 Tablespoons sugar. Blend in 1/4 cup shortening until crumbly.  

In a measuring cup, beat one egg, add milk to make 1/2 cup liquid. Add this to flour mixture. Pat dough into an ungreased 8 inch pie plate.

Top with fresh peaches, peeled and sliced. ( I use 3-5 peaches, enough to cover.)  Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees until lightly browned.

**I retrieved that slightly grease-stained recipe card years ago from my mother; it was nice to have something written in my 13 year old hand.

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