We’re seeing peaches at every fruit stand this year and they’re looking brighter and bigger than ever before. This is quite likely something we think every year just because we’re so happy to see the pale orange and blush beauties. Peaches are incredibly fragrant and when they’re perfectly ripe, delicious just on their own, in big, juicy bites.
The peaches we see around Bombay usually need a little coaxing to give up their deliciousness as they are usually a little harder, a little less sweet than ideal. But they’re still so delicious and with us for such a short time, we’ve found multiple ways of using them through the short season. Here are 5 of our favorite ways: Peach Smoothies, Sautéed Peaches with Ice Cream, Grilled Peach Salad, Fresh Peach Salsa and a beautiful, buttery, Peach Cobbler.
Peach Smoothie
Chop some peaches and place them in a blender along with ½ cup yogurt, ½ cup milk and a splash of maple syrup. You could spice it with a little cinnamon or you could try a tiny bit of grated ginger too. Add a little mango while in season or some banana if you like.
Blend it all up and enjoy a delicious glass of thick wholesomeness that tastes like dessert.
Sautéed Peaches with Ice Cream
Slice or chop peaches, toss them with a little bit of lemon juice and some sugar. Melt some butter in a pan, add the peaches, saute for about 4 minutes. Spoon the lot, peaches, butter and all, over vanilla ice cream and enjoy every fruity, melty mouthful. If you’re feeling virtuous, this even works over yogurt and honey.
Grilled Peach Salad
Slice some peaches and brown them in a hot pan of butter. If you have a grill pan, use that so you get the lovely grill marks on your peach slices. Saute some chopped bread in a pan of melted butter and olive oil till they’re golden brown. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss some lettuce with a little olive oil and vinegar. Add the grilled peaches, tomato slices, some chunks of fresh mozzarella, the sauted bread and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle some toasted nuts on top for crunch if you like.
Fresh Peach Salsa
A sweet and tangy salsa with a lovely note of heat through it, delicious with all kinds of chips. Peel and chop some peaches and toss them with some sugar and lemon juice. Let them steep for a few minutes while you chop a small onion, ½ a green chili, and a tsp of fresh grated ginger. Toss all these ingredients together with some chopped fresh coriander and some salt and pepper to taste. Let the salsa sit in the fridge for around 30 minutes to let all the flavors get to know each other.
Peach Cobbler
This is a recipe we found many years ago somewhere on the internet. Our notes say CulinaryConcoctions and that this is a Southern style Peach Cobbler. It is so easy to put together and in no time your kitchen will smell like butter, cinnamon and sugar. A satisfying snack with a cup of coffee or a perfect way to end dinner.
Ingredients
2 -3 cups of sliced Peaches, with or without skin
1 cup Butter
3 tbs plus 1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup Flour
1 tbs Baking Powder
3/4 cup Milk
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
¼ cup chopped Pecans or Walnuts
Directions
Preheat oven to 175° to 180° C.
Melt the butter and place the melted butter into an 8 x 8-inch baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix together the 3 tbs Sugar with 1 tsp Cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar. In another larger bowl, mix together remining sugar and cinnamon sugar and sift the flour and baking powder over that. Add the milk to this bowl mix till it forms a batter. It’s alright if it is a lumpy batter. Do not over mix.
Pour this batter over the butter but don’t stir. Place the sliced peaches evenly on top of the batter. Sprinkle brown sugar and nuts on top of the peaches.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the top turns golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Top with ice cream or whipped cream or like we like to do, with a Whiskey Vanilla Bean Cream. 1 cup of Cream, 1 tbs of Whiskey, 1 or 2 tbs of Sugar, either 1 fresh Vanilla Bean, scraped into it or 1/2 a tsp of Vanilla Extract. Whisk everything together till slightly thickened.
Pour spoonfuls over each serve of the Peach Cobbler.