"Do I dare to eat a peach?" asked the title character of T.S. Eliot's famous poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." The line, no doubt, is fraught with metaphysical implications, but it also resonates for anyone who has stood in front of the large bins of rock-hard, peach-colored fruits at the grocery store. If you dare, chances are you will be gravely disappointed.
|
|
Peach lovers take it as their personal mission to find good peaches each summer. Perhaps this doesn't take much effort if you live in, say, Georgia or South Carolina, but in northern New England, it's a challenge. Where I live, "Amish" peaches, shipped in from Pennsylvania, have proved to be the winners. A recent tasting of New Jersey peaches was a huge disappointment; they were mushy and had only a dull hint of peach flavor.
Peaches are called "freestone" when the flesh comes away easily from the stone (pit) and "clingstone" when it does not. Most clingstones in the United States are canned or frozen. Either type of peach can have white or yellow flesh. Peaches with white flesh have lower acidity, while yellow-fleshed peaches have a bit more of a tang. If I find a peach that tastes remotely like what I remember the peaches of my youth tasting like, I don't care what color the flesh is.
If you find really great peaches, eat them plain, standing over the sink, or slice them and mix them with berries (ripe blackberries and peaches make a superb combination) and top with a mere splash of cream. If you are dealing with less-than-stellar, supermarket peaches, you can bring out a lot of flavor by cooking them. The recipe below calls for serving a grilled chicken breast with a glaze made with peach jam, with grilled peaches on the side. It comes from the new book called "Why It Works" (Wiley, 2006), written by Kevin Ryan, a food scientist who works for General Mills and the Betty Crocker label. You can also serve those grilled peaches with any grilled meat, or use the recipe for sauteed peaches with maple syrup (also below) as a side dish for pork and other meats. The remaining recipe is a simple and delicious peach cobbler from "Dori Sanders' Country Cooking" (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1995).
To skin peaches: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. With a sharp knife, cut an X in the bottom of the skin of each peach, trying not to pierce the flesh. Working in batches, drop the peaches into the boiling water and allow to boil until the skin begins to loosen, 30 to 90 seconds. Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and plunge into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Repeat for all peaches. Drain and slip the skins off the peaches. Slice the peaches, discarding the stone.
CHICKEN WITH CHIPOTLE-PEACH GLAZE
1/2 cup peach preserves
1/4 cup lime juice
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped (found in most supermarkets; see note)
1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from the canned chiles)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus several sprigs for garnish
1 teaspoon garlic-pepper blend
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 to 8 ripe peaches
Note: Chipotle chiles are dried jalapenos and are, in the United States, most commonly sold canned with a spicy vinegar sauce called adobo. Look in the aisle where Mexican foods are sold.
Prepare a covered charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium heat.
In a 1-quart saucepan, mix the preserves, lime juice, chile and adobo sauce. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the preserves are melted. Stir in the chopped cilantro. Set aside.
Mix the garlic-pepper, cumin and salt together. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with the mixture.
Place the chicken on the grill, cover the grill, and grill the chicken about 8 minutes. Turn over. Place the peaches, cut-side down, on the grill. Cover and grill the chicken and peaches about 6 minutes more. Baste the chicken with the preserves mixture and grill for 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove the chicken from the grill, turn the peaches over and grill, covered, on the uncut side for about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining preserves mixture (if any) to boiling and stir 1 minute. Place the chicken on a platter surrounded by the grilled peaches and drizzle with the remaining glaze. Alternatively, place a chicken breast and 1 or 2 peach halves on each of 8 dinner plates. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings
Recipe from "Why It Works" by Kevin Ryan (Wiley, 2006)
EASY PEACH COBBLER
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
4 cups skinned, sliced, pitted peaches (5 to 7 peaches)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
several dashes ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Melt the butter and pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and salt and mix well. Stir in the milk, mixing just until combined. Pour this batter over the butter but do not stir them together.
In a small saucepan, combine the peaches, lemon juice and remaining cup of sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Pour the peaches over the batter but do not stir them together. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes; the batter will bubble up and form a crusty topping; it is done when golden brown. Serve warm or cold.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Recipe from "Dori Sanders' Country Cooking" (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1995)
SAUTEED PEACHES WITH MAPLE SYRUP
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes or to taste (optional)
1 cup pure maple syrup (see note)
8 sliced peaches
lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, as needed
Comments