Out of all the food blogs I’ve written, the ones I’ve had the most fun with and enjoyed the most have been about my favorite place to travel, San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, and the fresh summer peach. I look upon "The Almighty Peach" as the superhero of all the summer fruits. It's versatility is never ending. Perfect in desserts, savory dishes and cocktails, refreshing as nectars and juices and just plain eating on a hot summer day.
When the first peaches of the season land on store shelves, I have been known to get ahead of myself by purchasing them right away. Not the best idea! While there is nothing better than the taste of a fresh ripe peach, it is the complete opposite when you bite into an unripe peach. It's worth it to wait a couple of weeks until the truly ripe ones hit the store shelves, usually sometime in July.
My love of peaches began when I was a child spending summers with my grandparents in Chicago. My grandmother was a remarkable cook, which is where my love of cooking began. She would bake the most delicious desserts using fresh fruits of the season. It might be a peach pie, a cobbler, or maybe a cake. My favorite was always her homemade ice cream. My brothers and I would actually fight to see who could churn the old-fashioned ice cream machine the longest without getting tired.
My parents came for a visit a couple of months ago, and I threw a casual dinner party in their honor. It was a fun evening filled with lots of good food and lively discussion. I wanted to create a dessert that would take advantage of the beginning of peach season. I came up with mini white peach and blueberry fruit tartlets, made with puff pastry dough.
Serves 8 people
4 peaches, halved, pitted and slices into ½ inch thick wedges
1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
1 sheet thawed, chilled puff pastry dough
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry sheet to ¼ inch thickness. If your pastry starts to stick to your work surface, add a sprinkling of flour. Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the puff pastry into 8 rectangles of similar size. Shingle your peach slices on each puff pastry rectangle, leaving about a ¼ inch border. Brush the peaches with a bit of the honey and balsamic syrup that has accumulated at the bottom of the bowl.
Fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons melted butter
Granulated or demerara sugar
Place about 8-10 blueberries on top of the peaches. Using the pastry brush, brush the edges of each puff pastry rectangle with melted butter. Generously sprinkle the tarts with either granulated sugar or my favorite, demerara sugar.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the edges are puffy, crisp and a beautiful golden brown.
Apricot Jam
Water
After removing the tarts from the oven, prepare a glaze of apricot jam and a bit of water to brush over the finished desserts. The glaze will add a nice shine to the dessert.
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Finally finish with freshly ground black pepper. This dessert shows off the freshness of the peach, and it’s also quite beautiful.
I’ve always wanted to pickle peaches and this year, I decided to give it a whirl. To start, I placed a canning jar, lid and seal in a large pot of boiling water to sterilize it. I took 4 medium size peaches and using a paring knife, I made a tiny X cut on the base of each peach. I placed each peach into another pot of boiling water for 30-40 seconds watching carefully as the skin of the peaches around the X begin to peel away from the peach. I put the peaches in a large bowl of ice water, and gently began to peel away the peach skin. I cut the peaches in half and removed the pits.
In a small saucepan, I added a cup of apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of granulated sugar. Bring the ingredients to a boil and the sugars dissolve. Place the peaches into the jar. If all of the peach halves don’t fit, slice them and place in a freezer bag for later use.
Add to the jar:
1/2 sweet onion, cut it into 4 wedges
2 Fresno chilies cut in half
1 Serrano pepper cut in half
1 habanero pepper cut in half
2 cinnamon sticks
5-6 whole cloves
Funnel the apple cider and sugar mixture into the jar, making sure to leave a ¼ inch gap before sealing the jar. If you fill the jar with the vinegar mixture and there is still plenty of room left, just add some water making sure to still leave that ¼ inch gap before sealing. Place the peaches in the refrigerator for 24 hours before tasting to make sure the flavors are balanced with the right amount of sweetness and heat. The longer the peaches sit, the stronger those flavors become. I ended up with some pretty fiery and tasty peaches. They can be used in salads, on cheese and cracker boards, or you can use the juice in a vinaigrette. I’m planning on using the juice to create a spicy and sweet peach cocktail soon.
I recently experimented with Bundt cakes made with peaches. I came up with a cake with a peach soaking liquid made from pureed peaches, sugar, orange juice and peach brandy. While the cake was still warm, I poked several small holes in the cake using a bamboo skewer and poured the soaking liquid into the cake. After sitting for a couple of hours in the peach soaking liquid, the cake was not only a work of art, but also a delicious masterpiece. Let me know in the comments if you want me to send you the recipe.
I know what you're thinking: who does sherbet anymore? I’ve made many ice creams and sorbets, but this was my first attempt at making a sherbet. This recipe has turned out to be one of my absolute favorites.
6 ripe medium white peaches, peeled and coarsely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Depending upon the sweetness of the peaches. you might need to add more sugar. With a potato masher or your hands, crush the peaches until they are in very small pieces.
20 large basil leaves
Add half of the basil leaves to the peaches. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
½ cup sugar
½ cup of water
Mix sugar and water together in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil making sure that the sugar is well dissolved. When the mixture comes to a boil, add the remaining 10 basil leaves, stems and all, and let the mixture stand for at least a half hour before removing the basil.
Remove the basil leaves from the refrigerated peaches. Put half of the peaches in a blender with all of the basil-infused syrup and blend to a puree consistency. Transfer the pureed peach mixture back into the bowl with the crushed peaches and add a cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of vodka. The vodka not only adds a hint of flavor, but it also helps create a very smooth consistency in the sherbet. Cover and place the sherbet mixture in the refrigerator once again for at least an hour before using an electric ice-cream maker to finish it off. Churn it based on the instructions for your particular ice cream maker. Once it has churned, if it’s a consistency that you prefer, serve right away. I placed mine in a container with a tight lid that can withstand very cold temperatures and placed in it in the freezer. After much waiting and anticipation, I scooped it out to serve the next day. It was perfect, and was even better served with a couple of lemon-thyme ice-box cookies.
4 peaches, chopped, peeled and diced
2 seeded and sliced dried pasilla chile peppers
2 seeded and sliced guajillo chile peppers
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons silver tequila
Salt and pepper to taste
In a large sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil for about 20 seconds then add the butter. After the butter has melted, add the sliced onions. Cook the onions 4-5 minutes until translucent and just turning brown around the edges. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds to a minute or until the garlic begins to bloom. That’s when you start to get a nice whiff of garlic coming from your pan. After the garlic has softened, toss in the peaches, the sliced dried chilies, sprinkle in the tablespoon of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt, some fresh cracked pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
After the peaches are cooked and the chilies are beginning to soften, carefully add the tequila. Gently tilt the pan towards the flame to ignite and cook until the flames disappear. Add the orange juice, stir and cook for a couple of minutes, taste and then salt and pepper to taste.
I used this sauce over grilled flank steak, but this sauce would be just as good on chicken, pork or even fish. I served fresh corn and Gruyere cheese soufflé, grilled asparagus with roasted shallots and freshly grated parmesan cheese with the flank steak and sauce. This was by far one of my favorite summer grilling dinners because this meal was what summer is all about for me.
There is one last dessert that I want to touch on that I absolutely loved, a Peach Tart Tatin with vanilla bean pod using puff pastry as my crust. This was another one of my summer favorites.
Every summer my love for peaches continues to grow along with the expansion of recipes. If you have a love of peaches like me, you can't miss The Chopping Block's upcoming cooking classes that feature peaches such as New Orleans Brunch on the Grill, Steakhouse DIY, Summer Canning and Preserving and Cream of the Crop.