By Emily Beckett
The first time Beau Kendrick of Jemison made his award-winning Smoky Peach Turnover was the morning of the 2012 Chilton County Peach Festival Cook-Off, about three hours before the event started.
On a whim, Kendrick decided to enter the cook-off after his children, Tate and Coryn, convinced him he should.
“I do all the cooking here at home, and my kids told me I ought to get in it, so we did,” Kendrick said. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t think I had a chance.”
As the only male to compete in the adult division, he walked away with a third-place ribbon and a tried-and-true peach dish to serve to family and friends.
Kendrick created the recipe only two days before the cook-off without testing it beforehand.
“It’s not my grandmother’s or anything,” Kendrick said of his unique concoction. “I just thought it up and wrote it down. I had never made it before.”
Kendrick said there was nothing he wanted to change about the recipe.
“It was good the way it was,” Kendrick said. “Basically, it’s a miniature apple pie but has peaches and other things in it.”
Kendrick was the only participant to make a turnover.
“We made the turnover itself inside,” he said. “The last thing is just put it on the grill for five minutes and add a smoky flavor to it.”
Smoky Peach Turnover
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 six-pack canned biscuits
4 medium-sized Chilton County peaches
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sorghum syrup
2 cups canola oil
2–3 teaspoons mashed banana
2 cups favorite peach ice cream (slightly softened for dipping)
2 pinches minced mint (for garnish)
3–4 handfuls of Royal Oak charcoal
(Makes approximately six servings)
Directions:
Roll dough out 1/8 inch (get 2 out of 1). Cut peaches into small cubes. Melt butter in medium-size pot. Add peaches, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, syrup and bananas. Cook on medium heat about 7–8 minutes until soft. Allow mixture to cool. Fill dough with mixture; fold over in half-moon shape. Crimp edges with fork. On a charcoal grill, preheat oil to 330–340 degrees. Add pies; cook 2–3 minutes per side. Garnish with mint.
Serve pies warm with ice cream.