Why This Recipe Works

This Peach Puzzle recipe has all the pizzazz of a magic trick, as well as beautiful presentation and all-around good taste. The unusual recipe’s technique includes placing a custard cup upside down in the center of a pie plate. Peeled peaches are arranged around the cup and drizzled with a mixture of brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. Buttery biscuit dough is domed over the peaches, and then the Peach Puzzle goes into the oven. Once cooled, the pie plate is flipped over to reveal tender peaches nestled into the flaky biscuit—and a butterscotch-like sauce in the ramekin.

Before You Begin

Choose peaches that are neither very ripe nor rock-hard. They should give a little when squeezed. Be sure to invert the pie plate quickly to avoid losing any of the syrup. Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Instructions

For the peaches and syrup: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 6-ounce custard cup or ramekin upside down in center of 9-inch pie plate and arrange peaches around ramekin (photo 1). Combine brown sugar, water, butter, vanilla, and salt in medium saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and butter melts, about 5 minutes. Pour syrup over peaches.

For the dough: Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor until blended. Add butter and pulse until flour mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, five to six 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into medium bowl. (To make dough by hand: Use large holes on box grater to grate frozen butter into bowl with flour mixture, then rub flour-coated pieces between your fingers until flour mixture turns pale yellow and coarse.)

Using rubber spatula, fold milk into flour mixture, pressing mixture against sides of bowl to form dough. Squeeze dough together and flatten into disk. On lightly floured work surface, roll dough into 9-inch circle. Lay dough directly over peaches and press dough so that it fits snuggly around peaches (photo 2). The dough will stretch as you fit it around peaches, but do not attach dough to pie plate. Bake until top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on rack for 30 minutes.

Place large rimmed serving plate over top of pie plate and quickly invert Puzzle onto plate (photo 3). Cut into wedges around each peach and serve, pouring syrup over each portion.