Add a little joy to summer with peaches
July was a ray of sunshine.
This past month, we were blessed with a near endless supply of sun. The result of which resulted in plenty of opportunity for al fresco entertaining, something that will no doubt continue this month. Summer peaches are a great way to add a little sunshine to your summer entertaining routine. This surprisingly versatile fruit can, of course, be served up in classic desserts such as peach melba or a peach cobbler, but they can also be used to add a delicious sweetness to summer salads or peach-inspired barbecue sauce for turkey or chicken. They can even be grilled and served as a side dish or when wrapped with prosciutto make a delicious hors d’oeuvres.
GRILLED PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED PEACHES
4 to 6 Servings
12 slices prosciutto
3 peaches, pits removed, cut into
4 wedges each
4 oz blue cheese
12 sprigs rosemary
Directions:
Lay slices of prosciutto on a flat work surface. Add a slice of peach and equal amounts of the blue cheese to each slice. Wrap slices of prosciutto around the peach slices. Place the prosciutto wrapped peaches, seam side down on a grill set to medium-high heat. Cook until prosciutto is crispy. Flip peaches so the prosciutto is crispy on all sides. Be careful not to burn them. Quickly remove from heat. Skewer peach slices with a sprig of rosemary. Let cool slightly before serving.
PEACHY PANZANELLA 4 servings
1 small baguette, halved lengthwise
6 tbsp olive oil
4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 peaches, pitted, sliced*
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 2 handfuls basil, torn
2 fresh mozzarella balls, torn
6 oz prosciutto, torn
*Grill peach slices for a little extra
flavour
Directions: Preheat an oven to 400°F or use a grill over medium-high heat. Grill or toast the bread until golden brown on both sides. Slice into cubes or break into rough pieces. Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and garlic. Toss the vegetables, peaches and herbs together with the dressing. Top with crumbled torn mozzarella and prosciutto. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
GRILLED OKANAGAN PEACHES
6 Servings
1 stick butter
2 tbsp honey*
1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed, finely chopped 6 peaches, halved, pitted Vegetable oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
Directions:
Melt butter and honey in a pot set over medium-low heat. When butter is melted, add rosemary. Brush peaches lightly vegetable oil and place on barbecue set to medium heat. Grill flesh side down for four minutes. Turn peaches over and brush with melted butter and honey. Grill for another two to three minutes. Place on peaches on platter. Return pot of butter and honey on stove. Add the pine nuts to the pot. When the pine nuts
are golden brown, remove pot from heat and spoon over peaches.
TURKEY PEACH SKEWERS
Recipe by Tanya Bates 4 Servings
Prep Time Less than 30 minutes
Total Time: Less than 1 hour Ingredients (Chipotle Bourbon Barbecue Sauce)
1 cup of ketchup
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 small chipotle pepper, canned 1 tbsp of adobo sauce from can of
chipotle
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp of Worcestershire
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of onion powder
Ingredients (turkey skewers)
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp honey
1 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla paste
3-4 peaches, halved, pits removed 2 large turkey breast fillets, sliced
into strips
Directions: Preheat you grill to medium-high heat and, using heat proof gloves and tongs, rub the grates with olive oil (make sure your barbecue has been cleaned and brushed off first). While your barbecue is heating, add all of the ingredients for the barbecue sauce to a small saucepan and allow to simmer until the sauce has slightly reduced and thickened. Stir occasionally so it does not burn on the bottom. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, honey, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour over the halved peaches to coat. Then add your turkey strips to your skewers. If you’re not using metal, make sure to presoak wood skewers in water prior to using to avoid catching fire on your grill. I like to fold the strips onto themselves to help cook them evenly. Once the peaches and your turkey skewers are prepped, transfer them onto the grill keeping them separate from one another. Place the peaches inside down on the grill to get those nice grill marks. Allow to cook until internal temp of turkey reaches 165 ̊F and peaches are tender and juicy, turning the skewers over midway. Using a brush, brush the sauce onto the skewers and allow to cook for another two to three minutes and flip. Brush sauce on the other side and repeat. Remove the turkey skewers and the peaches from the grill and serve immediately.
Mark Dewolf is currently the creative director of food and drink at the Saltwire Network, director of marketing and communications of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) and pastpresident of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS). He enjoys drinking, eating, writing and talking about wine, beer and food.