Last week, I took a big bite of summer. No, really, a literal bite of summer. My husband, Alex and I were traveling through Lake Cumberland and stopped by a roadside fruit stand to load up before coming home. We grabbed a few bushels of whatever looked best and jumped back on the road. I really didn’t think twice about the extra fuzzy fruit in the back seat. In fact, we were so tired and worn out when we unloaded the car, I almost left them overnight. Thank goodness I didn’t.
Our trip to the lake and then the falls was filled with rich and heavy food. A lot of deliciousness, but let’s just say I was not exactly feeling like my svelte self when we returned. The first day back all I wanted was something simple and raw, with as little oil or fuss added as possible.
I grabbed the little green crate toppling over with peaches and looked for the most bruised and ripe of the group. They were perfect. I needed to eat them or cook with them that day. Taking a fuzzy peach in my hand, I sliced into its skin around the seed and then cut those halves into pieces. Foolish me thought I would only eat a piece or two. All I can say is wow. You would think I had never tasted a peach before. The flush of flavors and freshness honestly pulled the rug out from underneath me. It was incredible. Took me right back to being five years old in the back of my Mom’s station wagon after a day of swimming, stopping by a roadside fruit stand. Wiping the dripping peach juice from our mouths with our beach towels, we would compare seeds, and sometimes plant the seed with the hope of growing a tree.
A ripe peach can be one of the messiest fruits enjoyed. Rarely, do you see anyone fuss or complain about it. Never lacking in universal appeal, peaches are easy for everyone to eat, whether in the palm of their hand or thrown into the oven.
Today, I have included a few of my favorite peach recipes. Some are fantastic for perfectly ripe peaches, others are for those not so ripe or even overly ripe. It was not easy to showcase only a few recipes starring my favorite fruit. If you haven’t taken the time to enjoy any peaches yet this summer, why fight it any longer?
Good luck and enjoy!
Tips for Preparing Peaches:
To eat fresh: Wash; peel and cut in half to remove the pit.
To peel peaches, dip in boiling water for about 15 seconds, followed by dipping peach immediately into cold water. With a knife, peel off the skin.
To prevent turning, sprinkle with lemon juice if not eaten immediately.
To store, refrigerate and use in 3-5 days.
To pick, look for fairly firm to slightly softened fruit with yellow or light cream color. Avoid green or bruised fruit.
Sweet & Salty Peaches
4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced.
½ cup fresh ricotta cheese
¼ cup toasted nuts (walnuts or pecan are my favorites. But cashews or almonds are also delicious.)
A Drizzle: Sorghum, honey, or maple syrup. Something local.
Flaky salt for finish, Maldon or Kosher salt is preferred.
Arrange peaches on plate or plates, in a fan shape so that the belly of each peach is showing slightly. Plate at least 2 tablespoons of ricotta in the center of each plate. Sprinkle nuts around the peaches. Drizzle honey, sorghum, or syrup over the top of the plate and sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately.
Peach Ice Cream (Custard Style)
6 peeled and mashed ripe peaches
2 ½ cups sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
3 eggs, beaten
4 cups milk
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 tbsp vanilla
Combine peaches and one cup sugar, and set aside. Combine flour, salt, and remaining sugar. Add eggs and blend well. Cook over low heat, gradually adding milk and evaporated milk, and stir constantly ntil mixture thickens and coats the spoon. Allow the mixture to cool. Fold in whipped cream and add sweetened peaches and vanilla. Fold into an ice cream freezer, preferably the hand cranked kind, and freeze.
After the cream is frozen, remove the dasher and leave the container in the brine. Tightly pack the container with towels to insulate the entire freezer and allow ice cream to “set up.”
Peaches & Cream (gluten-free)
Preheat the oven at 300 degrees.
3 medium-ripe peaches
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup hot water
Place peaches in a casserole dish or pan; add sugar and water. Cover and bake.
Serve with whipped cream & or ice cream on top.
Peach Cobbler
Serves 8
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2 cups peaches, sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
Mix peaches with 1/2 cup sugar and set aside. Put butter in the bottom of a deep baking dish and set in the oven to melt. Make a batter of remaining ingredients and pour over melted butter (do not stir). Put peaches on top of batter; again, do not stir. Bake until the crust is light brown and puffy, approximately 35-45 minutes. Serve hot with ice-cream (The peach ice cream listed above is great with cobbler).
Peach Compote with Lemon Verbena
3 pounds of peaches (Firmer are easier with the recipe.)
⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup water
6 large lemon verbena sprigs, 4-5 inches (Have extra on hand if you want to garnish with it.Hint: If you don’t have verbena it’s ok. Try using lemongrass.)
1 pint berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the peaches. It’s gonna get messy, and that’s ok. Just be careful. After peeled, cut into 2 inch chunks. Place in a large pot or skillet with a lid. Add sugar and water. Stir and mix ingredients. Crush or rub verbena leaves with fingers to release the oil, then add them to the pot. It’s ok to break or bend the stems so that it will fit.
Place pot over medium-low heat and cook, stirring gently occasionally until the mix is simmering and the sugar has dissolved. You want the fruit to be barely tender and to have released some of it’s juices. This will take less than five minutes.
Remove pot from heat. Cover the pot and let it stand for 15 minutes.
Remove verbena sprigs and discard them. Serve at room temperature. Garnish with additional, uncooked, verbena. Also may be made one day ahead of time and refrigerated. Serve chilled, stirring in the berries 15 minutes before serving.
Delicious served over ice cream, angel food cake, sponge cake, or even yogurt.
The recipes and photos used in today’s article are from the kitchen of Chef Babz (babzbites@gmail.com)
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