Just imagine what the Silicon Valley might have looked like about 50 years back. Back then it was known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its natural beauty, temperate climate and acres of arable land producing the sweetest stone fruits like plums and peaches and apricots. As one drives through the streets and highways, one can still see signs of this fruitful past, from the scattered existence of small orchards that are left behind. Every home has at least one citrus or stone fruit tree which yields more than enough to eat, preserve and share with neighbors.
How can one resist the juicy allure of these fruits – the soft peaches, the vibrant apricots, shiny nectarines, deep red plums, not to mention wonderful cross breeds like pluots and apriums and what not! In summer, the farm stands along the Central Valley highways and local farmers markets display a colorful variety of these “drupes“, which is what such stone fruits are called. And towards the end of summer when the fruits are at the peak of their sweetness, I give in and end up making at least one batch of jam for nostalgia sake.
Time seems so scarce in today’s Silicon Valley that many do not bother to even pick the fruits in their backyard leave alone preserve for winter. In Michael Pollan’s “Cooked”, he talks about “real scratch cooking” becoming as rarefied as darning socks. When I lived in the Sacramento area, making several batches of jams and preserves towards the end of summer was de riguer, a fun activity usually done with a group of friends. My friend K, the uber expert in cooking anything and everything from scratch, used to have a bunch of us girls over for ‘jamming’. Sigh! What fun that was!
This year my nod to nostalgia was a small batch of chunky peach jam with the sweetest peaches one can sink their into. V and I really do not consume that much jam not being big toast eaters for breakfast. So I use the jam for desserts, mostly as a compote topping for puddings or ice creams. Or I give it away to friends and family.
What came together this time was a chewy oat bar with a tart, sweet chunky peach jam filling. The crust itself is not too sweet at all as it contains no sugar whatsoever, though it is lightly sweetened with fruit sauce.
Recipe for Oat Bars with Peach Jam Filling
Makes around 15 bite sized squares
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup store bought apple sauce or home-made apricot or date sauce
- 1 1/4 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking, buy gluten-free oats if you are sensitive)
- 3/4 cup ground flax seeds / flax meal
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp powdered ginger
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (use melted butter if you are not vegan)
- Optional: 1/3 cup of brown sugar if you like some more sweetness in the crust
- 1 cup chunky peach jam
Method:
- Preheat over to 375F
- Dot a 9″x5″ loaf pan with coconut oil and line with parchment paper such that some of the paper hangs over the sides like a handle
- To make apricot or date sauce, soak 1/2 cup of pitted dried fruit in hot water for 30 mins. Drain and grind well in to a paste using a few tablespoons of water to get sauce consistency
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl
- Add the fruit sauce and coconut oil and fold. Divide in to two parts
- Using fingers, press half the oat mixture in to the prepared loaf pan
- Spread the peach jam evenly on top
- Distribute the remaining oat mixture on top of the jam and press
- Bake for 30 mins
- Let it cool and cut in to bars or squares. I got about 15 small bite-sized squares from the loaf pan
The bars were just perfect with the right amount of sweetness and tartness from the peach jam and chewiness from the oat-flax mixture. And just the most perfect grab and go snack.