What to do with this year’s especially sweet peaches
Peach crop is especially sweet this year: What to do with them
We love peaches a bushel and a peck.
The summer sweeties have been kissed with plenty of sunshine this year in Michigan, and now is the time to enjoy them. The crop is right on schedule and bountiful at roadside stands, farms, farmers markets and orchards. Because this summer has been unusually dry, you can expect this season’s fruit to be sweeter, growers say.
The news hasn’t been quite as good in Georgia, where late freezes in March shriveled the peach crop, resulting in higher prices for a more limited number of early peaches, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. On the bright side: Late-season production has fared better and the quality of the fruit is good, according to Jeff Cook, a peach agent associated with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.
Peaches should keep about a week after they’ve been picked, says Katrina Roy, co-owner of Westview Orchards in Washington Township, Michigan. Once you bring them home, you can store them in the refrigerator to stop the maturing. A few days before you’re ready to use them, Roy suggests putting a few peaches on the kitchen counter on a towel (with another towel on top) and leaving them to ripen for a few days.
“The towel helps keep the fruit flies at a minimum,” she says.
Don’t wash the peaches until you’re ready to use them, advises
Roy. Washing them under warm water takes care of the peach fuzz, she says.
Peach Potpie
Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Unbleached all-purpose
flour, for dusting 1 sheet puff pastry,
thawed but still cold 1⁄4 cup light-brown sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 3⁄4 pounds ripe peaches (about 5), cut into 1⁄2inch wedges 1 tablespoon bourbon,
optional
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
extract
1 large egg
Coarse sanding sugar Vanilla ice cream, for
serving
Heat oven to 350 degrees with racks in top and bottom thirds and a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet on bottom of oven to catch drips.
On a lightly floured sheet of parchment, unfold pastry; roll out to a 10- to 12-inch square. Center a 9- to 10-inch cake pan upside down on pastry; trace a circle around it with a paring knife. Remove pan; remove and discard excess pastry. Transfer parchment with pastry circle to a baking sheet. Create a crosshatch pattern by scoring lines, 2 inches apart, horizontally and vertically on pastry (do not cut through dough). Refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add peaches and toss to coat. Stir in bourbon and vanilla. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch pie dish. Cover with parchment-lined foil; bake on lower rack 20 minutes.
Whisk egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush over the pastry circle; sprinkle with sanding or turbinado sugar. Place baking sheet with pastry on top rack of oven. Bake until pastry is puffed and golden while fruit in dish is bubbling, about 35 to 40 minutes. (If pastry is browning too quickly, tent with foil.) Remove from oven; uncover fruit. Carefully place pastry circle on top of fruit and bake 10 minutes more. Let cool 15 minutes; serve with ice cream.
— Adapted from marthastewart.com
Lime and Spice Peach Cobbler
Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Filling
3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons brown
sugar
2 tablespoons minced
crystallized ginger 4 teaspoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons ground
cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon grated lime
zest
8 medium peaches, peeled and sliced (about 5 cups) 1 tablespoon lime juice
Topping
3 tablespoons butter,
softened
1⁄4 cup packed brown
sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup cake flour
1⁄2 teaspoon baking
powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons cold water 1⁄4 cup chopped pecans 1 large egg yolk 2 tablespoons buttermilk
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat an 8- or 9-inch square dish with cooking spray.
To make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix sugar, brown sugar, ginger, cornstarch, cinnamon and lime zest. Add peaches and lime juice. Toss to mix, taking care not to break up the fruit. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
To prepare the topping: In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; beat into butter mixture. Beat in water just until crumbly. Stir in pecans; crumble over filling.
Whisk together egg yolk and buttermilk; brush carefully over crumb mixture. Bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 35-40 minutes. Serve warm. — Adapted from allrecipes.com
Peach Lassi Sorbet With Crushed Blackberries
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes Total time: 30 minutes plus 6 hours freezing time
According to Bon Appetit, the vodka in this recipes makes for a smoother sorbet with a less icy texture.
4 medium peaches, peeled, chopped, frozen (about 4 cups) or use frozen peaches 1⁄2 cup plain whole-milk
Greek yogurt 2 tablespoons vodka
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
honey
6 ounces fresh
blackberries, halved 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
In a food processor or blender, place the peaches, yogurt, vodka, salt and 1⁄4 cup honey and process until smooth. Pour peach mixture into a loaf pan (a metal pan will conduct cold more efficiently than tempered glass) and place a piece of parchment paper on top, pressing directly onto surface. Freeze until sorbet is firm, about 6 hours.
About 30 minutes before serving, place half the blackberries in a small bowl and lightly crush using a fork. Add lemon juice, remaining berries and remaining 2 tablespoons of honey and let sit, tossing occasionally, until berries have released some of their juices, about 20 minutes.
Scoop sorbet into bowls and top with macerated blackberries.
— Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine, August
2018 issue
Broiled HoneyThyme Peaches With Balsamic Glaze
Serves: 8
Prep time: 15 minutes Total time: 30 minutes
4 tablespoons salted
butter, melted 4 peaches, washed,
halved and pitted
1⁄4 cup honey
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
leaves
1 pint vanilla ice cream 1-2 tablespoons balsamic glaze or aged balsamic vinegar
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and turn the broiler to high.
Butter a broiler-safe 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Place peach halves cut side down in the dish. Broil until browned in spots, about 3 minutes, watching carefully to keep them from burning. Turn each peach over and drizzle with the melted butter and the honey. Sprinkle with the black pepper. Broil until browned and bubbling, 4 to 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with the thyme.
If serving as a dessert, scoop ice cream into bowl. Divide the peaches and the pan juices over the ice cream. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve.
You can also serve this as a side dish to grilled pork, chicken or fish minus without the ice cream.
— Adapted from “Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering” by Joanna Gaines (William Morrow,
$30)
Grilled Peach Caprese
Serves: 6
Prep time: 25 minutes Total time: 45 minutes
3 peaches, cut into
1⁄4-inch-thick slices 8 ounce baguette, sliced
1⁄4-inch on the diagonal Oil for brushing on
peaches and bread 3 favorite vine-ripe tomatoes, sliced about 1⁄4-inch thick
6 ounces fresh mozzarella,
sliced and halved again Fresh basil, torn into bite
size pieces
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar or
balsamic glaze
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Heat the grill to about medium. Brush peaches and bread slices with olive oil. Grill peaches until they just begin to soften and have nice grill marks. Grill the bread slices the same way.
Arrange grilled peach slices, alternating with tomato and mozzarella slices. Add basil, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with a few good pinches of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
— From Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen