Tipsy Summer Peach Pudding: the Best Use of a Wine-Poached Peach

Ingredients

• For the cake:
• 1 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, separated
• Zest of one orange
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• For poached peaches:
• 3-4 ripe peaches
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 vanilla beans
• 1/4 cup sugar
• To assemble
• Whipped cream, sweetened to taste

Directions

1. For the cakes, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 6 4-ounce ramekins or 8 standard muffin tins, then set them aside. Trim the crust from the bread, then pulse the bread in a food processor until you have fine, even crumbs.
2. Measure out 2 tablespoons of the sugar and keep it separate. Beat the remaining sugar with the egg yolks, zest, and extract using an electric mixer on high until the mixture turns pale and very thick, about 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy. While you keep beating, sprinkle in the reserved sugar a little at a time, stopping when the whites hold soft peaks.
3. Fold about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the yolk mixture so it loosens up. Scrape that mixture back into the bowl with the rest of the whites, add the bread crumbs, and fold carefully until everything is incorporated. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared ramekins or muffin cups. Bake about 20 minutes if using ramekins, or about 15 minutes if using muffin tins, until the cakes are lightly browned and have started to pull from the pan edges.
4. Turn the cakes upside down onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely. Once they are fully cooled, slide a paring knife around each one to release it, nudging gently if needed. Store the cakes in an airtight container for several days.
5. For the peaches, wash and dry them, then make a shallow X on the blossom end of each one. In a small non-reactive saucepan, combine the wine, juice, sugar, and vanilla beans. Warm the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is just starting to steam.
6. Set the peaches into the pan stem-side down, turn the heat to medium-low, and cover. Poach for 10 minutes, checking now and then so the liquid stays at a low simmer and never comes to a full boil. Uncover the pan and carefully rotate each peach so the uncooked side is in the liquid. Cover again and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and leave the peaches covered in the liquid for 5 to 10 minutes more.
7. Transfer the peaches carefully to a plate and let them cool. Return the saucepan of poaching liquid to medium-high heat and cook it down until 1 1/2 cups remain. The peaches can be served right away, or chilled for several days in the poaching liquid; as they sit, the liquid will tint them more deeply and intensify their flavor.
8. To serve, plate each cake with ½ of a poached peach, about ¼ cup of the reduced poaching liquid, and a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.