One of my absolute favorite subjects in high school was Home Economics. I loved every aspect of it. The year was broken into three sections. One was sewing, one was home keeping and the third was cooking.
Try to guess what my favorite section was! You probably got that right in one guess! The Cooking!
In all truth I loved all of the sections. In retrospect I probably should have gone on to study Home Economics when I left school. Hind sight is 20/20 they say!
My mother wasn't one to tolerate anyone "helping" her out in the kitchen. We could watch, but we had to stay out of the way. My mother went out to work when I was 11 and once I learned how to cook, I was given the responsibility to reheat things for supper and get them started each day.
But very little actually "cooking" or experimenting went on. I used to love to go to my friend Virginia's house. She was actually allowed to cook. In fact she was the chief cook and bottle washer in that house.
I loved food and cooking and recipes, which is probably why I loved Home Economics so much! This recipe I am sharing today for an easy refrigerator dessert is a recipe that I learned how to make in Grade 9 Home Economics.
We were always given copies of all the recipes to put into our class folders. This is one of the few that remain in mine. It was declared good enough to put into my Big Blue Binder.
Not only is it a very easy dessert to make, but it is a very delicious dessert to make. It uses a few convenience foods such as lemon pie filling, canned milk and tinned peaches. Don't let that put you off. This dessert spells "WINNER" every time I make it!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PEACHY LEMON WHIP
Like I said there are a few convenience items, but they go very well together. I suppose in peach season you could use real peaches.
- 1 1/2 cups (135g) graham cracker crumbs (in the UK, use digestive biscuit crumbs)
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
- 3 1/2 ounces (4 serving size) lemon pie filling mix
- 2/3 of a can of carnation evaporated milk, well chilled (I put mine in the freezer until ice crystals form. Save the rest of the can for another use.)
- 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups (450g) well drained sliced peaches
Graham crackers are not readily available in the UK, although you can, or could, get them at some speciality shops. You can use the equivalent amount of Digestive biscuit crumbs.
Jut pop them into a food processor and process them until they are finely ground. They work and tast pretty much the same.
If you really wanted to shake things up you could use shortbread biscuit crumbs, but the graham cracker crumbs are the original.
Lets talk evaporated milk here. When I say evaporated milk I mean the milk that comes in the can that is simply milk which has been heat processed to remove a goodly portion of the water.
I am not talking about sweetened condensed milk, which also comes in a can, but which is thick and sweet with sugar.
I am talking about the milk. No sugar added. The most popular brand is carnation and it comes in several different fat contents. I use the full fat one.
You want the milk to be really well chilled. I put it in the refrigerator the night before when I go to bed and then in the morning I pop the chilled can into the freezer and leave it for a couple of hours until ice crystals form.
This whips up just like whipped cream, but with only a fraction of the calories. In a pinch you could use whipping cream I suppose, but I never have done.
The lemon pie filling is the filling mix that you would buy to make a lemon meringue pie. It is usually in the baking section of the stores. You will need a four serving sized package.
If you can get peaches preserved in juice, use them rather than the ones in syrup. In every case, drain well and pat dry with some paper towels.
HOW TO MAKE PEACHY LEMON WHIP
This is so easy a simple school girl can make it! 😉
Mix the crumbs an butter together until well combined. Press 2 TBS of the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of 8 dessert glasses, reserving a few TBS to sprinkle on top of the finished desserts. Place into the refrigerator to chill.Prepare the pudding mix as for a pie. Cool completely, stirring often.Place the canned milk into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk, beat until the milk doubles in volume and stiffens. (You can use a hand mixer but it will take a lot longer.) Whip in the lemon juice.
Beat the cooled pudding until light and fluffy. Fold the beaten pudding and the whipped milk together until evenly combined.Spoon into the dessert dishes, top with the drained sliced peaches and sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture.Chill for several hours until serving time.
Today, as I was transporting this delicious dessert to my sisters for after supper, I assembled the majority of it in a large glass bowl with a lid, and that is completely okay. But for a prettier presentation do it in individual dessert dishes.
These dishes were my mom's. My sister lent them to me for this. I am guarding them with my life because if anything happens to them, she will never forgive me!
I sure hope everyone enjoys this tiny bit of nostalgia I am bring over to share tonight. I predict that they will!
Some other delicious desserts here in The English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:
EASY LEMON & BLACKBERRY DESSERT - All you need for these are a few simple things. Berries, water, sugar, Greek Yogurt, cream, lemon curd and some crisp meringues. Easy peasy. BERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE PUDDING - A delicious baked cake type of pudding, chock full of lovely berries and yummy white chocolate. Fabulous served warm spooned out into dishes with some cream for pouring.BANOFFEE MESS - This recipe today is a play on a traditional British indulgence known as Eton Mess, which is a dessert composed of red berries, whipped cream and crushed meringues, all folded together into a splodgy mess which is oh so delicious! Instead here you have sliced bananas, toffee sauce, meringues, cream and toasted pecans!
Peachy Lemon Whip
Yield: 8Author: Marie RaynerPrep time: 35 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 35 MThis is an old, old recipe that I learned to make in one of my high school Home Economics classes. It has remained a favorite dessert in my own family for over 50 years. Yes, I am that old.Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (135g) graham cracker crumbs (in the UK, use digestive biscuit crumbs)
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
- 3 1/2 ounces (4 serving size) lemon pie filling mix
- 2/3 of a can of carnation evaporated milk, well chilled (I put mine in the freezer until ice crystals form. Save the rest of the can for another use.)
- 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups (450g) well drained sliced peaches
Instructions
- Mix the crumbs an butter together until well combined.
- Press 2 TBS of the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of 8 dessert glasses, reserving a few TBS to sprinkle on top of the finished desserts. Place into the refrigerator to chill.
- Prepare the pudding mix as for a pie. Cool completely, stirring often.
- Place the canned milk into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk, beat until the milk doubles in volume and stiffens. (You can use a hand mixer but it will take a lot longer).
- Whip in the lemon juice.
- Beat the cooled pudding until light and fluffy.
- Fold the beaten pudding and the whipped milk together until evenly combined.
- Spoon into the dessert dishes, top with the drained sliced peaches and sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture.
- Chill for several hours until serving time.
Did you make this recipe?
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