Filed under: Peaches, Recipes for Peaches, Uncategorized | Tags: Cling Variety Peaches, Freestone Peaches, New Haven Peaches, Peach Recipes, Peaches
I drive by a small u-pick peach orchard on my way to work. During the summer months I enjoy watching the peaches mature, becoming more orangey-gold as July turns into August. One early morning in mid-August I notice cars parked along the road starting at the orchard gate and continuing in a line for about half a mile. Car engines are turned off, whole families sit quietly together waiting for the orchard to open. Peaches may be one of the only foods that everyone would agree are best eaten in season. I believe that’s why those families wait so patiently every year to pick their bucketfuls of perfect August peaches. Peaches that have spent most of their lives in coolers, and have traveled great distances are not worth waiting in line for. They will never have that yielding softness that only a ripe peach has, nor the juicy, sweet-tart perfection of an August peach. I have been lucky to live most of my life in places where peaches grow in the summer, and my favorite peach recipe remains unchanged over the years. Here it is. Get a sharp knife, peel the peach and then cut along the suture from stem to blossom end, continuing up the opposite side. Twist the two halves gently. A freestone peach will separate easily and be ready for slicing. A cling variety will need to be sliced from the pit. Next eat the peach and savor the deliciousness. Sometimes I like to expand on this simple recipe, by making crepes and creme fraiche to eat with my fresh sliced peaches.
Fresh sliced peaches with corn crepes,homemade creme fraiche, and corn butter
Alice Waters recipes for Peach Melba or Peach Shortcake are also simple variations on the sliced peach . As she says, “Most of our (Chez Panisse) peach desserts are simple preparations designed to enhance the natural characteristics of the fruit.” I cannot argue with this perspective. My other favorite peach recipes were created by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson for their book, Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More. The recipes for Caramel Peach Grunt, Gingered Peach and Blackberry Pandowdy, or Summer Fruit Trifle should be distributed to all those families waiting for the peach orchard to open. They know a good peach is worth waiting for, and they, too might enjoy an old fashioned recipe when they get their fill of peaches eaten right off the tree.
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