Eat a Lot of Peaches...
Our friends recently brought over a tray of freshly picked peaches. They said they were the kind of peaches their mom approved of (she grew up on a peach farm)- the kind that peels right off the pit and is juicy, perfect goodness. I had high hopes for these peaches in the creative cuisine way, and they sure delivered. And while some friends suggested things like ceviche and salsa, I needed to use these like yesterday (literally), so this is what I came up with!
Peach Lassi
This recipe is for 1 lassi:
2 fresh peaches, pitted
8 oz. full fat greek yogurt (you can substitute for milk-free yogurt)
1 tbs. simple syrup or honey
1/4 cup coconut milk
Blend all of the ingredients on high in the vitamix (or any blender), and decant into your favorite tall glass. I garnished mine with extra peaches and a sprig of rosemary which is what ended up inspiring the Rosemary Roasted Peach cocktail later on.
Grilled Peaches + Grilled Chicken Breast Salad
This recipe is for 2 large servings:
2 medium sized chicken breasts
4 fresh peaches
6 cups arugula
(for dressing/marinade):
6 tbs. olive oil
1.5 tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 shallot, chopped
Heat up the grill. I used the stove top griddle/grill and while this probably takes longer for cooking time, it worked well! Slice the peaches in half, remove the pit. Whisk up the marinade ingredients and coat the peaches and chicken breasts with it. Grill the peaches flat side down until they seem warm too the touch. Remove the peaches, set aside. Next reinforce the marinade on the chicken, and grill the chicken until it's cooked through. Grab your two favorite bowls, fill them with arugula, add the rest of the dressing to each of the bowls. Slice the chicken breasts and peaches, add them to the salad. Enjoy!
Rosemary Roasted Peach Bourbon Fizz
This recipe is for 2 cocktails:
1 medium sized fresh peach
1 tbs. honey
3 sprigs of rosemary
1 oz. simple syrup
4 oz. bourbon (I used Knob Creek)
Blues Away Bitters
fizzy water
ice
peach slices for garnish
You will also need:
small oven-safe glass tray
cocktail shaker
wooden spoon/muddler
tight-mesh sieve
Preheat oven to 375. Halve the peach, remove the pit, place in a small oven-safe glass tray. Add half the honey on each peach half, and sprinkle rosemary over both halves. Cover with tin-foil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove, and allow to cool. (I did this before I cooked dinner so it was ready to go by the time we were about to sit down). When cooled, add peaches (and whatever liquid formed in the tray) to the cocktail shaker with the simple syrup, bourbon, and a few leaves of rosemary. Muddle ingredients, then add ice and shake well. Use the tight-mesh sieve to strain the cocktail into two tall glasses. Add ice, top with fizzy water, 1 dropperful of Blues Away Bitters. Garnish with a wedge of peach and sprig of rosemary. Enjoy!
Peach Cobbler
5 large peaches, pitted
1 cup flour (using GF flour is fine!)
3/4 cup raw cane sugar (you can use even less)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 375. Slice peaches and lay them in a square or rectangle shaped baking tray that's somewhere around 9 inches. The peaches will fill most of the tray. Mix all the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl until the texture feels gritty/crumby. Top the peaches with the crumble, and bake for about 30 minutes or until you see it sizzling, with the top starting to turn brown. I highly, highly recommend serving this fresh out of the oven with vanilla ice cream.
