Dining / Cooking

Just peachy

By Jennifer Justus/The Tennessean | Sunday, September 07, 2008 | () comments

When Barry Burnette opened The Produce Place in Nashville, Tenn., 20 years ago, he uttered a simple refrain to get him through the financially difficult winters: “If peach season would just get here quick,” he’d say.

When those rosy-golden orbs arrive each year with their velvet skins and sweet aroma, Burnette says they bring along a mood. As bins filled with peaches sit alongside green peppers, deep purple berries and tomatoes, shoppers can’t help but oblige.

But even among their lofty place with other summer edibles, peaches have singular charm.

Peaches generally are classed as clingstone or freestone, with the names being an indication of how tightly the flesh adheres to the pit. Almost all of the clingstone peaches grown commercially in the United States are processed for canning, so the fresh peaches sold at grocers and farmers markets are freestones.

To celebrate summer peach season, recipes run the gamut of meal courses and occasions, showcasing the peach’s versatility by keeping the focus on the freshness of the fruit.

For starters, a peach and blue cheese bruschetta involves little more than fruit, blue cheese and a slice of warm, hearty bread. If your peaches are slightly under-ripe, drizzle with honey (or balsamic vinegar depending on your preference) and sprinkle with black pepper.

As a salad, grilled peaches sit “bravely and simply next to a crunchy single-leaf salad” chef Jamie Oliver says.

Peaches are among the fruits home cooks have traditionally pickled and preserved. In that spirit, Natalie Sellers, chef and co-owner of the 4th St. Bistro in Reno, Nev., macerates whole peaches in a vinegar, vanilla and spice solution and then incorporates the fruit into a salad of wilted greens, toasted pecans, oil-cured black olives and a crisp leg of duck confit.

“If you let the peaches sit for at least two weeks, the flavor develops better,” Sellers says.

Peaches also can be employed to great savory effect when they’re halved, pitted and then grilled alongside and served with pork chops. David Joachim and Andrew Schloss, authors of “Mastering the Grill” (Chronicle Books, 2007, $24.95), like to flavor grilled peaches with ancho chile rub or, just before grilling, brush honey mustard on skewered peaches, plums and blood oranges.

Grilling peaches doesn’t take long — about six to eight minutes, the authors say — but “just keep an eye on the fruit as it grills. The high sugar content can make fruit go from browned to burned in less than a minute.”

And as a drink, a Bellini, the peaches themselves are the only bit of sweetness.

So how does Barry Burnette prefer to eat a peach? No recipe necessary for this longtime lover of the fruit. He’ll just give it a swipe with his shirt, or maybe a rinse under water, before peeling it with his pocketknife.

(Johnathan L. Wright of the Reno Gazette-Journal contributed to this article.)

Jennifer Justus can be contacted at (615) 259-8072 or jjustus@tennessean.com.

Peaches: From market to table

Here are some tips for picking and preparing peaches:

Choosing

n Select fruit that is firm but with some give, and with a deep, sweet, peachy aroma. Fruit to be eaten the same day should be softer.

n Rosy red skin does not indicate ripeness. Instead, look for a deep yellow background color.

n Avoid peaches that are hard or have a greenish tint, especially near the stem. Those picked too early will never ripen properly.

Ripening

n Ripen firm peaches in a bowl at room temperature until desired ripeness-softness is achieved.

n Supermarket peaches often require additional ripening because they’re picked underripe.

n Ripe peaches can be stored in the refrigerator up to a week.

n Don’t refrigerate peaches until they’re completely ripe or the cold will make the flesh mealy.

Preparing

n To peel peaches, place them in boiling water for 10 seconds (or until the skin splits), then plunge them in ice water to cool and to halt cooking. The skins should slip off.

n To pit a peach: Cut down to the pit at the stem, slice lengthwise around the perimeter of the peach, twist the halves in opposite directions to separate, then pry out the pit and discard.

Peach recipes

Peach Bruschetta with Blue Cheese

4 slices country bread

2 peaches

extra virgin olive oil for brushing

1/4 pound blue cheese

Preheat the broiler. Arrange the bread slices on a rimmed baking sheet, slip under the broiler and toast, turning once, until golden-brown on both sides. This should take only a few minutes.

While the bread is toasting, halve the peaches lengthwise, pit them, and then peel each half. Cut each half lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices, keeping the shape of each half intact.

When the bread is ready, remove from the broiler and brush each slice on both sides with olive oil. Spread 1/4 of the cheese on each slice of warm bread, place a sliced peach half on top and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: “The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market Cookbook” by Christopher Hirsheimer and Peggy Knickerbocker (Chronicle Books, 2006).

Warm Grilled Peach and Frisee Salad with Goat Cheese Dressing

For the dressing:

2 1/2 ounces crumbly goat cheese

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon walnut oil

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

For the salad:

2 large ripe peaches, halved and pits removed

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 frisee or endive leaves, dark outer leaves discarded, inner leaves washed and dried

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

A small bunch of fresh mint, smallest leaves picked

To make your dressing, put the goat cheese in a mortar and pestle with a little salt and pepper. (Goat cheese is already salty, so go easy on the salt.) Add the olive oil and lemon juice and mix. Add the walnut oil and the Parmesan and mix again, but not for too long or it will split.

Put your peaches cut-side down on a white-hot griddle pan and char them nicely on both sides. Remove and put on a large platter or divide between four plates. Drizzle the peaches with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put your frisee or endive leaves in a bowl with enough of your goat cheese dressing to coat the leaves, and toss together gently and beautifully. Grate a little Parmesan over the dressed salad and put a pile of it on each plate, next to the peach halves. Scatter with some baby mint leaves.

Suggestion: Serve with some warmed, crumbled walnuts sprinkled over the top and a plate of Parma ham served next to the salad.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: “Cook with Jamie” by Jamie Oliver (Hyperion, 2007).

Vanilla Spiced Peaches

3 pounds whole peaches, peeled

2 cups granulated white sugar

2 cups champagne vinegar

4 sticks of 2-inch cinnamon

6 whole allspice berries

1 whole star anise

4 whole cloves

1 whole vanilla bean, halved and scraped of seeds.

Set peaches aside. Combine remaining ingredients in large stainless steel pot. Simmer 20 minutes, add peaches and simmer an additional 15 minutes. Carefully remove peaches from pan, place in container and cool in cooking liquid. Best flavor develops if peaches sit for at least two weeks.

Slice peaches and use in salads or serve over ice cream or other desserts. Makes 1 quart.

Source: Chef Natalie Sellers, 4th St. Bistro, Reno, Nev., www.4thstbistro.com.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Peach and Ginger Sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

5 tablespoons sugar

11/2 cups dry red wine

3/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

21/2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

11/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

3 14- to 16-ounce pork tenderloins

3 medium peaches, blanched in boiling water 1 minute, peeled, pitted, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sugar. Saute until onion is golden, about 6 minutes. Mix in wine and next 5 ingredients. Cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat. Cool sauce completely.

Place pork in large resealable plastic bag. Pour 1 cup sauce over pork. Seal and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight, turning meat occasionally. Cover remaining sauce separately and refrigerate.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Remove pork from marinade; discard marinade. Grill pork until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 155 degrees, turning often, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil remaining sauce in heavy medium saucepan until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add peaches. Stir until heated through, about 1 minute. Slice pork and arrange on platter. Spoon some sauce over. Top with chives. Pass remaining sauce separately.

Makes 8 servings.

Source: Bon Appetit, August 1998

Peaches and Dumplings

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons plus three-fourths cup sugar

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1 large egg, separated

1/2 cup buttermilk, plus additional as needed

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

11/4 cups fruity white wine or water

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

4 cups peeled and sliced ripe peaches

1 cup fresh blackberries or blueberries

Whipped cream and fresh mint sprigs for garnishing (optional)

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, the 2 teaspoons sugar, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, mix together the egg yolk, the 1/2 cup buttermilk and the butter. Quickly stir into the flour mixture just to combine. Add more buttermilk if the batter seems too dry. Beat the egg white to soft peaks and fold into the batter. Set aside.

In a 4-quart Dutch oven or other nonreactive pan with a lid, combine the wine, the 3/4 cup sugar, the cinnamon and ginger, and bring to a boil. Add the peaches and berries and simmer for 3 minutes. Do not overcook the fruit.

Drop the dumpling batter by spoonfuls onto the simmering fruit. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the dumplings are firm. Serve warm, with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprig of mint, if using.

Note: This dish is best eaten when the dumplings are just cooked. You can, however, hold the dish, covered, for up to an hour before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Source: “From the Earth to the Table” by John Ash with Sid Goldstein (Chronicle Books, 2007).

Bellini

1 very ripe peach

Well-chilled Prosecco or Champagne

Peel the peach over a blender container to capture the juice and discard the peel and pit. Slice the peach, allowing the slices to drop into the blender. Puree until smooth.

Divide the puree evenly between 2 Champagne flutes, then fill the glasses with sparkling wine.

Makes 2 servings.

Source: “The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market Cookbook.”