Bring out the taste of summer with peaches

Peaches are one of the delights of summer.

Juicy and sweet with a distinctive peach-colored skin, they speak to the warmth and sunshine of summer .

While many peaches are brightly colored, don’t shy away from paler fruit. Sometimes peaches don’t develop that much color because their leaves create a lot of shade while they’re growing.

Avoid peaches with green skin, which is a sign that they were picked too soon.

When buying or picking peaches, look for fruit that’s heavy for its size since that’s usually a good indicator that it will be juicy.

Press peaches gently at the top near where the stem was. If the flesh yields slightly, the fruit is ripe and ready to eat.

Harder peaches can be ripened at home, but you’ll want to skip any that are rock hard — those were picked too soon.

Avoid peaches with bruises, scratches or soft spots.

To ripen peaches at room temperature. place them on their stem side and in a single layer. To speed up the process, place the fruit in a paper bag and leave it on the countertop. If the peaches ripen too quickly, store them in the refrigerator for a few days, but keep a close eye—wrinkled skin means the fruit is starting to dry out.

To halve peaches, use a chef’s knife to make a deep horizontal cut all the way around the fruit. Twist the two sides to separate them, then remove the pit with your fingers.

If your peaches are ripe, it’s easy to remove the skin. Plunge peaches into boiling hot water for about 30 seconds, then place them in ice water. The skin should slip off. If it doesn’t, the peaches probably aren’t ripe enough and you’ll need to use a paring knife instead.

For a tasty treat, make a peach and prosciutto salad by layering thinly sliced peaches and prosciutto on a platter. Top them with chunks of burrata or fresh mozzarella. Drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with thinly sliced basil.

To try peach lemonade. Bring two cups of unpeeled peach slices, two cups of water and 1/2 cup sugar to a gentle boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Continue to gently boil over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peaches are very tender. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

Pour the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a small pitcher, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.

Stir in 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice and 2-1/2 cups water, then serve over ice garnished with addiional peach slices.

Following are other peach recipes from loveandlemons.com.

 

Peach Crisp

5 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cane sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

For topping:

1/2 cup whole rolled oats

1/2 cup almond flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup crushed walnuts

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup firm coconut oil

In a large bowl, combine peaches, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Toss to coat.

In a medium bowl, combine oats, almond flour, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon and salt. Using your hands, work in coconut oil until the mixture is crumbly.

Scoop peach filling into a greased, 10-inch skillet. Sprinkle with the topping and bake in a 400-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the fruit is soft and the topping is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

 

 

 

Grilled Peaches

4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and crushed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Vanilla ice cream

Brush the cut side of the peaches with a little olive oil. Grill, cut-side down, in a grill pan or grill over medium heat for three minutes, until char marks form.

In a small bowl, combine walnuts, cinnamon and salt.

Remove peaches from the grill. Serve with vanilla ice cream sprinkled with the walnut mixture.

 

 

 

 

Peach and Plum Caprese Salad

Ripe peaches

Ripe plums

Fresh mozzarella

Handful basil leaves

Drizzle olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Slice peaches, plums and mozzarella into bite-sized pieces. Assemble into a salad with basil leaves in between. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

 

 

Summer Fruit Salad

For dressing:

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon grated ginger

Pinch of sea salt

For salad:

10 strawberries, sliced

2 peaches, sliced

1/2 cup Bing cherries, pitted and sliced

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup raspberries

1/4 cup fresh basil, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup fresh mint, more for garnish

In a medium bowl, whisk together  lemon juice, lime juice, maple syrup, ginger and salt.

In a large bowl, toss together strawberries, peaches, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, basil and mint. Drizzle dressing on top and toss to coat. Garnish with basil and mint and serve.

 

 

 

Panzanella Salad

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or sherry vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup sliced red onion

Kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn

10 small or 5 medium tomatoes, sliced into wedges

16 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

3 peaches, pitted and sliced

4 to 5 cups cubed crusty bread

1 cup chopped fresh basil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup roasted chickpeas, optional
In the bottom of a large bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add onion, and corn and toss until coated. Let sit for 10 minutes.

To the bowl, add tomatoes, peaches, bread and half the basil. Toss to combine, adding more olive oil if the bread is too dry, and more lemon, salt, and pepper, to taste. Let salad sit about 10 minutes so the juices can soak into the bread. Give it a toss, then top with the remaining fresh basil and chickpeas, if using.

 

 

 

Peach Sangria

1 bottle white wine

1 cup Grand Marnier

3 to 4 peaches, sliced

Splash of ginger juice or a bit of freshly grated ginger, optional

1 lemon or lime, sliced

Handful of mint and/or basil

Handful of ice

Stir all ingredients together. Chill until ready to serve.

Tone down the alcohol content by adding 1/2 to 1 cup sparkling water.

 

 

 

 

Peach Salsa

2 to 3 ripe peaches, pitted and diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Juice and zest of 1 lime

1 small garlic clove, grated

1/2 jalapeño pepper, minced

1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together peaches, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, lime juice and zest, garlic, jalapeño and salt. Season to taste and chill until ready to use.

 

 

 

 

Easy Peach Cobbler

6 large or 7 medium peaches, thinly sliced

1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cane sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup melted coconut oil or unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Layer peaches into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish that’s been greased with coconut oil. Drizzle lemon juice over the peaches.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add coconut oil and vanilla and combine until the mixture forms a crumbly dough. Sprinkle over the peaches and bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, until the mixture is just lightly browned on top and the peaches are juicy.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

 

 

 

 

Burrata With Heirloom Tomatoes

For lemon-thyme oil:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

Peel of 1 small lemon

4 thyme sprigs

For burrata platter:

4 heirloom tomatoes

1 ripe peach, sliced

1 8-ounce ball fresh burrata

1/2 cup fresh basil and/or mint leaves

1 tablespoon toasted pistachios, chopped

Flaky sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

A few cherries or fresh currants, optional

Toasted bread

Combine oil, garlic, lemon peel and thyme in a small saucepan over low heat. Gently warm the mixture, then turn off the heat. Let steep for 20 minutes, then strain.

Assemble tomatoes, peach slices and burrata on a platter. Sprinkle with salt, then drizzle with lemon-thyme oil. Top with basil and/or mint and sprinkle with pistachios. Top with cherries and/or currants, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with toasted bread.

 

 

 

 

 

Green Chile Peach Tostadas

8 corn tortillas

Olive oil cooking spray

1 14-ounce can refried black beans

4 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced

1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes

1/4 cup pepitas, toasted

1/2 cup cotija cheese, optional

Lime slices, for serving

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Sea salt

For creamy green chile sauce:

5 tomatillos

1/2 yellow onion

2 garlic cloves, wrapped in foil

2 hatch green chiles

1/4 cup pepitas, toasted

1 small avocado

Big handful of spinach

Juice of 1 lime

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Drizzle of honey, optional

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

To make sauce,  remove husks from tomatillos and rinse under cool water to remove the stickiness. Place tomatillos, onion and green chiles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with olive oil. Add a generous pinch of salt and toss. Place wrapped garlic on the pan and roast in a 450-degree oven for 15 minutes, until tomatillos are soft and the skin of the green chiles has lightly blackened. (Alternatively, you can char the vegetables on the grill.)

Let cool slightly. Once chiles are cool to the touch, remove the stems, ribbing and any loose skin. Peel the garlic.

In a food processor, combine cooked tomatillos, onion, green chiles, garlic and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Pulse, then add pepitas, avocado, spinach and lime juice. Blend until smooth and taste. If it’s too tart, add a drizzle of olive oil and honey. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to use.

Place corn tortillas on a baking sheet. Spray each with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a few pinches of salt. Bake until crispy, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the tortillas.

Place refried beans in a small bowl. If they’re not seasoned, add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and stir.

Assemble the tostadas with the refried beans, peaches, tomatoes and generous dollops of the sauce. Sprinkle with the pepitas and cotija cheese, if desired. Serve with lime slices on the side.