Good morning, welcome to our series sharing Food Holidays: August 22nd, 2021. Take a look at the Holidays and let me know which one you most would like to celebrate and why.
Can you believe my family hadn’t heard of a Pecan Torte which means none of us have ever had one. Have you? As for eat a Peach day Charlie and I will also pass on this Holiday because we don’t eat Peaches.
But I need to go to the grocery store and pick up Peaches for David because he loves Peaches and if Charlie and I had time we could make a Peach Cobbler for David. Which would be Charlie’s #Homeschool Cooking Class. Would you like to help us create a Peach Cobbler?
Pecan Torte, Pecan Pie, and Pecan Cakes are all very similar, and all of them are incredibly common to find being served in the deep south in the USA. Their deep flavor is unmatched by any other treat, and are best enjoyed with a rich topping of whipped Heavy Cream.
History of Pecan Torte Day
Do you know what separates a Cake from a Torte? Tortes are invariably denser and are naturally creamier and delicious. Tortes are also commonly multi-layered to take advantage of rich creamy toppings like that mentioned above.
What makes a Torte denser? Tortes are typically prepared without Baking Powder or Soda, the ingredients in other baked goods that causes them to rise. What lightness they have comes from the use of Whipped Egg Whites to give them structure and an airiness.
Did you know Pecan Tortes are particularly common in the Southern region of the USA in part because Pecans are the State Tree of Texas, commonly known as the Lone-Star State.
Like most things truly Southern the people of this region take a deep pride in their traditional treats and hold it high as one more example of a truly American institution, kind of like Apple Pie and Fireworks on the 4th of July! If you’ve never enjoyed a Pecan Torte, then today is your opportunity to broaden your palette.
How to celebrate Pecan Torte Day
The best way to celebrate Pecan Torte Day is to make a Pecan Torte of your own!
Pecan Torte Recipe
12 Egg Yolks
12 Egg Whites
2c Granulated Sugar
2 ½c Pecans, ground
½t Unseasoned Bread Crumbs
½t Extract of Vanilla
Start by blending together the Egg Yolks and Sugar until it’s a golden yellow, then mix the ground Pecans and Bread Crumbs together and stir them into the Yolk mixture with Vanilla.
In another bowl blend the Egg Whites until they form stiff peaks and fold them into the previous mixture. Now that the mix is prepared, pour them into three separate round baking pans that have been greased and then lined with Wax Paper.
Bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes, testing to make sure the cakes are finished baking. Then turn out on a wire rack and leave to cool. Top with your favorite kind of Frosting and serve!
Five thing to know about the Pecan Torte:
- If the body does not get enough Zinc, it may have difficulty producing Testosterone – a key hormone in initiating Sexual Desire in both men and women. Pecans provide nearly 10 percent of the recommended Daily Value for Zinc.
- It would take 11,624 Pecans, stacked end to end, to reach the top of the Empire State Building in New York City.
- Texas adopted the Pecan Tree as its State Tree in 1919. In fact, Texas Governor James Hogg liked Pecan Trees so much that he asked if a Pecan Tree could be planted at his gravesite when he died.
- Albany, Georgia, which boasts more than 600,000 Pecan Trees, is the Pecan capital of the U.S. Albany hosts the annual National Pecan Festival, which includes a race, parade, Pecan-cooking contest, the crowning of the National Pecan Queen and many other activities.
- Pecan trees usually range in height from 70 to 100 feet, but some trees grow as tall as 150 feet or higher. Native Pecan Trees – those over 150 years old – have trunks more than three feet in diameter.
*National “Eat a Peach” Day
Peaches are quite possibly the world’s perfect Fruit, they are rich and delicious and even their flesh has an amazing texture. The aroma they fill the air with is enough to turn one’s stomach to rumble, and there’s little that can compare to a nice cold Peach Tea in the Summer heat. Eat A Peach Day reminds you that it’s never a bad time to spend a little quality time with this perfect Fruit.
Learn about Eat A Peach Day
Eat A Peach Day is a day that is dedicated to eating Peaches, as the name suggests! Did you know that China produces more than half of the Peaches in the world? So, we have them to thank for this amazing piece of fruit!
Peaches offer a number of different health benefits, and not only do they taste amazing, but they are great for your wellbeing too. Peaches are excellent in terms of de-bloating and Blood Pressure Control, as well as promoting Brain Health.
Peaches help with Weight Management, lower the risk of Cancer, protect your eyes, perk up your skin, boost your immune system, and they are good for digestion as well.
With everything I’m having trouble health wise and learning Peaches can help with these issues I might need to begin to eat a Peach a day. Would you like to join me?
Fun facts about Peaches
Now, let’s tell you fun facts about Peaches! Did you know the nickname for Georgia is ‘The Peach State’? Which probably, comes as no surprise that “The World’s Largest Peach Cobbler” is made in Georgia every year.
This Peach Cobbler measures 11 feet by five feet, pretty impressive, right? There are a number of types of Peaches, yet the two main varieties are Freestone and Clingstone. It is more difficult to get rid of the fresh from the pit on a Clingstone variety of each.
History of Eat A Peach Day
Like many of the world’s most delicious foods, the Peach Tree finds its origins deep in the NW region of China in a beautiful area in the foothills. Nestled in between the Tarim Basin and Kunlun Shan Mountains this tree is the origin of what are arguably two of the world’s most delectable Fruits, the Peach, and the Nectarine. What few people know is the Nectarine is actually the same species of Fruit as the Peach!
Peaches botanical name is Prunus Persica, which tells us something interesting about its history. You see, the Persica name comes from its widespread cultivation in Persia, but as we mentioned that isn’t actually where the Peach comes from.
It quickly spread throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, and eventually found its way to America in the 16th Century by way of the Spanish Explorers.
By the 19th Century cultivation had begun in the Americas, and now it can be found and enjoyed all over the world in infinite varieties, from White Peaches to Nectarines.
How is it that Nectarines and Peaches are the same Fruit but Nectarines are furless? Well now, that’s just a recessive trait in the Peach Tree that’s been selectively bred for by Nectarine farmers. Every year Nectarines appear on Peach Trees as a result, and Eat a Peach Day is the perfect opportunity to enjoy either a Peach or Nectarine. Which one would you like and why? For Charlie and I we will pass on both but again David would like to have either one you get him.
How to celebrate Eat A Peach Day
First, head on down to your local grocery store and pick up a variety of Peaches to enjoy! Then slice a Peach up and have it for breakfast, fresh and unsullied.
Then slice a Peach up and put it in a sandwich bag with some Sugar, by lunch you’ll have a delicious snack of Fresh Peaches in a Natural Syrup. The best way to enjoy Peaches is to find yourself a recipe for a Peach Cobbler, and prepare one the night before so you can come home to a delicious dessert that evening. Eat A Peach Day is just the most delicious Holiday ever!
Of course, eating Peach Desserts is not the healthiest way in the world to celebrate this Holiday. However, “National Eat a Peach Day” only happens once a year, so we won’t tell anyone if you don’t!
There are lots of delicious desserts that you can enjoy making but Peach Cobbler is the obvious dessert, but there are plenty of others. Peach Roses, for instance, are easy to make and they look incredible too. Peach Roses are definitely Instagram-worthy!
Other ideas include Raspberry and Peach up-side down cake, Peach Crisp, Brown Butter Peach Cupcakes, Grilled Peaches with Maple Honey and Marscapone, Peach Caramels, Peach Pie Pop Tarts, and Peach Vanilla Cheesecake Trifle.
Search online and you will be able to find a lot of tasty and exciting recipes. You can even get family and friends and make Desserts together. Don’t forget to make Peach Iced Tea or Peach Bellini’s to serve with the Dessert.
Another great way to celebrate Eat A Peach Day is by reading the popular children’s novel, James and the Giant Peach. Most people have heard of this book that has been written by Roald Dahl, the famous British author.
Roald Dahl was a champion of the underdog and all things little—in this case, an orphaned boy oppressed by two nasty, self-centered aunts. How James escapes his miserable life with the horrible aunts and becomes a hero is a Dahlicious fantasy of the highest order.
You will never forget resourceful little James and his new family of magically overgrown insects—a Ladybug, a Spider, a Grasshopper, a Glowworm, a Silkworm, and the chronic complainer, a Centipede with a hundred gorgeous shoes.
Their adventures aboard a luscious peach as large as a house take them across the Atlantic Ocean, through Waters infested with Peach-eating Sharks and skies inhabited by malevolent Cloudmen, to a ticker-tape parade in New York City.
This happily ever after contemporary fairy tale is a twentieth-century classic that every child deserves to know. And Lane Smith’s endearingly funny illustrations are a perfect match for the text.
“All the gruesome imagery of old-fashioned fairy tales and a good measure of their breathtaking delight.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A stunning book, to be cherished for its story, a superb fantasy.” —The Chicago Tribune
“The most original fantasy that has been published in a long time…[it] may well become a classic.” —San Francisco Chronicle. Note: There are 126 numbered pages in this book but a total of 144 pages
Of course, if you don’t want to read, you can watch the film instead, which is based on the book. It is a musical fantasy film that was created in 1996. The film received great feedback, and it has won a number of awards over the years too.
This includes Best Family Feature – Animation or Special Effects at the Young Artist Awards, Best Animated Film at Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association, as well as at the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards as well. If you have not watched it yet, it is definitely worth getting the Popcorn (and Peaches!) out for on Eat A Peach Day!
Recipe Peach Cobbler
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup milk
- 4 cups fresh peach slices
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)
- Step 1 Melt Butter in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
- Step 2 Combine Flour, 1 cup Sugar, Baking Powder, and Salt; add Milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over Butter (do not stir).
- Step 3 Bring remaining 1 cup Sugar, Peach slices, and Lemon Juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly; pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with Cinnamon, if desired.
- Step 4 Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler warm or cool
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
