Tag Archives: peaches

Peach Caprese Panini

While the siren call of apples and pumpkins is getting harder to resist, I’m holding out because my local market is still selling local peaches. This weekend has been just beautiful with temperatures reaching 28°C (that would be 82°F for all my American friends).

A classic Caprese contains tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. This is my twist on it replacing the tomatoes with fresh peaches. I piled it all onto a Ciabatta loaf and put it in the panini press. I always forget about my panini press. It lives in a cupboard above the fridge, that I can only access with a little stepladder. But really, is there anything more glorious than a pressed sandwich. That crunch on the crust gives way to creamy melty cheese, sweet peaches and tangy basil. The basil we planted at the cottage is still plentiful and verdant.

Watch this video to see how it all comes together.

The smear of pesto really amps up the basil flavour profile. You wouldn’t normally think of pairing peaches and basil, but they are such complementary friends. If you don’t have a panini press, just put the sandwich in a frying pan, cover it with a small plate and weight the whole thing down with a heavy can (like a 28 ounce tin of tomatoes). Or you can cover a brick in foil and use that as a weight right on the sandwich.

I used a ciabatta loaf, but focaccia would also be a great choice. Don’t rush into autumn. Enjoy these last few days of summer.

Click here to print recipe for Peach Caprese Panini.

Grilled Peach and Buffalo Mozzarella Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

There are a few short weeks each summer when peaches are at their peak. You know, like when you take a bite and the fragrant flesh yields to sweet juice that dribbles down your chin. If you are in possession of peaches like this, you don’t need me or this recipe to tell you what to do. When peaches are like that, don’t fu@k with perfection. Eat as many as you can, right out of hand and enjoy.

If your peaches are less than optimal, or you’re tired of eating plain peaches, give this salad a whirl. It is eminently customizable. I love the look of it presented on a big wooden board. Dress your greens and spread them out on the board. I used arugula, but you do you.

The dressing is a basil vinaigrette. It takes about 5 minutes to make your own basil oil for this dressing. Totally worth the time and effort. But, feel free to use plain olive oil and just garnish salad with fresh basil leaves if you don’t want to make your own basil oil.

The peach halves are brushed with a little bit of olive oil and placed on the grill cut side down. This softens them slightly and sweetens any less than optimal peaches.

For the cheese component, you can use fresh mozzarella, bocconcini, or Buffalo mozzarella. I have also made it with halloumi cheese and it was fantastic.

Finish with a crunchy element. Toasted hazelnuts or almonds, or even some croutons. This is summer on a plate.

Late Summer Peach Streusel Cake

It happens every summer. I get carried away when local peaches finally arrive. The rest of the year they are like rocks with absolutely no flavour or aroma. For a few short weeks each August, they are perfect. The flesh gently yields as you take a bite, and the juice drips down your chin and stains your shirt. But it’s worth it. I always buy more peaches than we can possibly consume. Last year I peeled and pitted the extra peaches and tucked them away in the freezer to use during the winter. Of course I completely forgot about them, until I was cleaning the freezer in June and pulled out a frost covered bag.

This summer, I decided to take action and bake a cake with my peach windfall. The problem with most peach cakes is that the peaches exude so much juice that the cake has a wet, gummy texture. Cook’s Illustrated cracked the code on that problem by suggesting that you roast the peaches first, and then mix them with Panko breadcrumbs.

I tarted up the Cook’s Illustrated version of this cake with a delicious streusel topping, crafted from pecans, oats, butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. I love a little crunch on top of my cake.

A drizzle of some salted caramel sauce wouldn’t be a bad idea.
And a scoop of vanilla ice cream, because it’s the last week of summer and I propose we go out with a bang!

Click here to print recipe for Summer Peach Streusel Cake.

 

 

 

Peach Tomato Corn Salad


When Mother Nature forces corn, peaches and tomatoes to ripen all at the same time, I do believe she intended for us to put them together into something delicious.

First, let’s chat about peaches. There are two types of peaches, cling and freestone. As the name suggests, the flesh of the cling peach stubbornly hugs the stone, making them a real pain to slice. The flesh of the freestone, comes away easily from the pit. Unfortunately, without slicing the peach open, there is no way of knowing which type of peach is which. The first peaches of the season are almost always cling, and the freestones usually follow a few weeks later.
The easiest way to pit a freestone peach is to use a sharp paring knife. Pierce the peach at its stem end and slice it along the seam all the way around the fruit. Place each half of the peach in either hand. Twist the halves in opposite directions. Pull the halves apart to reveal the pit. Use the tip of a spoon to nudge the pit out of the peach.
For this salad I encourage you to buy as many different types, colours and sizes of ripe tomatoes as you can find. Heirloom ones are perfect for this salad. This is truly a blank canvas and you are the artist.

I recently discovered Tomberries. They are minuscule red and yellow tomatoes, about the quarter of the size of a cherry tomato. They are super-sweet and freaking adorable. In the photo below, I put a in grape tomato (bottom left)  for size reference. Loblaws in Canada carries them under their President’s Choice label. If the corn is really fresh, like picked that day, just shuck it, cut the corn off the cob and use it raw in the salad. I like to sauté the corn in a bit of olive oil if it was not picked that day.

Cut some of the tomatoes in slices, others in wedges and start composing. I just drizzled mine with some really fruity extra virgin olive oil. I scattered some fresh basil over top and finished it with a judicious sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper and flaky sea salt. I didn’t feel it needed any vinegar as the tomatoes have a good amount of acid. If you feel it needs vinegar, then go ahead and add some delicate white wine vinegar.

Send me a picture if you make this salad. I’d love to see what you create.

Peach Berry Crisp and the difference between sons and daughters

crisp for 1 625 sqWith summer fruit this perfect, it’s best to not mess with it too much. Keep it simple. I love summerThis has been my go-to crisp topping since scrunchies and shoulder pads were all the rage. I love it on apples in the fall, pears and cranberries in the winter and strawberry and rhubarb in the spring. I always have a bag of the topping stashed in the freezer for a quick dessert.  crisp toppingtopping in food processor 1topping in food processor 2To thicken the juices in the crisp I like to use Minit Tapioca. Depending on the sweetness of the fruit I add between 2-4 tablespoons of sugar. adding minit tapiocacovering with toppingI have made this crisp topping so many times I could practically prepare it in my sleep. But still, you need to pay attention. Here is my cautionary tale of what can happen when you go on auto-pilot in the kitchen.

A few years ago I made the crisp with fall apples and served it after dinner. My children dug in immediately. My daughter took one bite and said, “This is disgusting!!” I looked over at my oldest son. He was diligently shoveling in the apple crisp, but not at his usual alarming speed. With his mouth full he said, in a kind voice, “Well mom, it’s ok, but it’s not as good as usual.” I reached for his spoon and took a bite for myself. I almost choked. My daughter was right, it was horrible. I had been rushing around the kitchen that afternoon, trying to do too many things at once and I guess I wasn’t paying attention. I had mistakenly mixed the apples with salt instead of sugar. And therein lies the difference between sons and daughters. You can always count on your daughter to be brutally honest with you, while your son will soften the truth to protect your feelings!waiting for it to coolWarm from the oven or room temperature, this crisp is a wonderful way to pay homage to summer fruit. share with friends

Click here to print recipe for Peach Berry Crisp.

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