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Posts Tagged ‘Peaches’

It has not felt very summery in Ireland this year but we haven’t let that put us off cooking for the season. There are still some nice peaches around and this makes a lovely lunch!

Wine Suggestion: We think Viognier is an awkward grape, despite its star status for some. However in the right hands and with the right dish it really comes together. Without breaking the bank and opening one of our Perret Condrieu in the cellar which have amazing balance, expression and character we kept northern Rhone with a simpler, though still delicious, Domaine Gerin “la Champine” Viognier. There’s a peachiness from this wine and hints of an oily texture that just works with this salad.

Charred peach, parma ham and bocconcini – serves 4

  • 4 peaches, halved and stones removed
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 2 large handfuls of rocket (or a mixture of rocket and watercress)
  • 8 slices of Parma ham, cut in half
  • 350g bocconcini

FOR THE DRESSING:

  • ½ red chilli, finely diced
  • 1 red onion, finely diced
  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 40ml sherry vinegar

TO FINISH:

  • 4 tbsp flaked almonds
  • 4 basil leaves, roughly chopped

Drizzle the cut sides of the peaches with the rapeseed oil, then place cut side down on a hot barbecue and cook for 3 minutes or until you get nice charred marks. Remove them from the barbecue and set aside.

Make the dressing by mixing the chilli, red onion, extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Put two peach halves on each plate and sprinkle around the rocket. Add the Parma ham and bocconcini, then spoon over the dressing and sprinkle over the toasted almonds and basil to serve.

(Original recipe from Outdoor Cooking by Tom Kerridge, Bloomsbury Absolute, 2021.)

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Inspired by a gift of some runner beans from a friend’s allotment, plus we just had to buy the fresh peaches we stare at everytime we walk past the veg shop. Once cooked it looks less vibrant than the flavours suggest – an excellent way to cook both the beans and peaches and a great combo. Delicious with some barbecued pork chops.

Barbecued peaches and runner beans – serves 4

  • 400g runner beans, peel both sides with a vegetable peeler to remove the stringy bits, then trim both ends and halve widthways at an angle
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 ripe but firm peaches, cut into ½ cm thick slices
  • 5g mint leaves, roughly torn
  • ¾ tbsp lemon juice
  • 80g creamy goat’s cheese, we used marinated St Tola, broken into 4cm pieces
  • 20g ready-roasted and salted almonds, roughly chopped
  • ¾ tbsp runny honey

Toss the beans with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and ½ tsp of flaky salt. Cook the beans on a hot barbecue (ideally on a griddle pan so you don’t lose any through the bars) for 3-4 minutes on each side or until you get good grill marks and they are almost cooked through. Transfer to a bowl and cover with a plate. You can leave them now for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how soft you like them, they will be more crunch at the shorter time but we like them soft.

Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil over the peach slices and toss to coat. Grill for 1-2 minutes on each side, until you get nice grill marks.

Toss the beans and peaches together in the bowl with the mint, then transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle over the lemon juice and some flaky salt and black pepper. Scatter over the the goat’s cheese and almonds and finish with a drizzle of honey.

(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage, Ebury Press, 2020.)

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Fresh and summery and an opportunity to eat more peaches. There was a burrata shortage the day we made this and so we had to substitute mozzarella.

Mozzarella, tomato & peach salad – serves 4

  • 400g large ripe tomatoes, ideally heirloom and/or beefsteak
  • 400g ripe peaches or nectarines
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • a splash of white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano, plus extra to serve
  • 1 large ball of burrata (or buffalo mozzarella)
  • a small handfull of pine nuts, toasted

Slice the tomatoes into rounds, removing the cores.

Stone and slice the peaches into wedges. Put the tomatoes and peaches into a mixing bowl with the some olive oil, white wine vinegar and the dried oregano and toss to coat. Season with salt to taste.

Arrange the tomatoes and peaches on a platter and put the burrata in the middle. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with a little dried oregano. Season with flaky sea salt and black pepper. Scatter over the toasted pine nuts and serve.

(Original recipe from Stagioni by Olivia Cavalli, Pavillon, 2022.)

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The peaches at the moment are really tasty so we’re gorging on them while they’re in season. Here are two easy and delicious dessert recipes to distract ourselves from just eating the peaches fresh.

Baked peaches with an almond crust – to serve 4

  • 4 ripe peaches
  • 50g almonds – no need to skin
  • 50g golden caster sugar
  • 45g butter

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Cut the peaches in half, remove the stones and put them in a shallow baking dish cut-side up.

Blitz the almonds in a food processor until you have a coarse rubble. Add the sugar and butter and mi again briefly.

Spoon the almond mixture on top of the peaches and bake for about ¾ of an hour or until the peaches are super-soft and the topping is crispy. Pour a little double cream over to serve.

Baked peaches with maple syrup and vanilla – to serve 4

  • 4 ripe peaches
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • juice of a lime

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Cut the peaches in half, remove the stones and put in a shallow baking dish cut-side up.

Pour the maple syrup into a bowl. Scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod and add to the maple syrup along with the lime juice. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the peaches are really soft. Baste them occasionally while they cook.

Drink with: a fragrant and slightly frothy Moscato d’Asti from the Piemonte region in Italy. Moscato is a completely under-rated wine that is fruity and light (about 5% alc.) and won’t overwhelm the dessert. We find that Moscato is quite often a much better match for fruit based desserts than traditional, much sweeter, “dessert” wines.

(Both recipes are adapted from Nigel Slater’s Tender: Volume II, Fourth Estate, 2010.)

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Our local supermarket, which will remain nameless, has perfectly ripe Spanish peaches at the moment. Absolutely perfect for a summer barbecue salad. It’s worth paying the extra for free-range chicken from a reliable source (probably not the local supermarket).

Warm Chicken & Peach Salad – to serve 4

  • 500g good-quality chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • olive oil
  • baby spinach leaves
  • ripe peaches
  • basil

Heat the barbecue.

Put the chicken breast in a shallow dish. Add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Turn the chicken breasts in the marinade until they are well-coated.

Cook the chicken on the hot barbecue until cooked through (ours took about 6 minutes on each side). You are going to slice the chicken anyway so it’s no problem to slice open one of the fillets to check.

Scatter a good few handfuls of spinach and a small handful of basil leaves over a large serving platter.

Mix 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, a few shredded basil leaves and some salt and pepper together to make a dressing.

Slice the chicken and peaches and toss gently with the salad leaves. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.

Drink with: either Roussanne or Marsanne with their stone-fruit flavours to complement the light peachy flavours of the salad. We had a glass of a St Joseph white from Pierre Gaillard made from Roussanne which is amazing on it’s own and a perfect match for this dish.

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