Sunday, July 6, 2008

What a peach

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“Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring and because it has fresh peaches in it” Thomas Walker

Fresh peaches taste like summer, without the sunscreen or bug spray flavor. They are perfection at their ripest and whether you eat them off the tree or in a pie, pudding or upside down cake, they are one of the best summer fruits going.

Now some folks are put off by the fuzzy skin. Not me, I find it part of the peachy experience. But for those who can't deal with it, there are a couple of ways to get rid of the fuzz. If you are eating only one, use a veggie peeler or a paring knife and just peel it off. But if you need to make a pie and you have a bunch to peel, get a pot of water boiling. Cut an X in the bottom of each peach, place the peach in the water for 15 seconds or so, remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and rinse them in cool water. Once they are cool enough to handle, rub them with a towel to peel back the skin. Read EHow for a more detailed version if you need it.

For those who love historic food stories, check out The Old Foodie's blog for the rumor about unpopular King John's death by way of peaches. Foodie reports that peaches were grown at the Tower of London in 1272 and provides a 16th century recipe for "Marmelet of Peches". Kinda puts my humble offering of Fresh Peach Coffee Cake (in honor of Rosemary) to shame.

So, fresh or cooked, I hope you'll give these in-season sirens a place in your kitchen. Let these sweet babies spark your imagination; some peach jam would be lovely in the winter, or some dried peaches would be great in a Waldorf salad, or a pitcher of mimosas with fresh peach juice, or...

*Peaches and Pewter by Pauline Campanelli. Check out Art.com.

3 comments:

Sling said...

What?..No peach cobbler?
I LOVE that stuff!

Kimberly Ann said...

You can't beat cobbler - any kind. But since dear Rosemary loves coffee cake so much, I found something for her!

rosemary said...

OK, so I looked at the recipe and it seems pretty easy.....I think I can do this one. I will go to the market tomorrow and get nectarines....I don't like fuzz....and the rest of the ingredients because I only have a few of the items needed. Steve left yesterday and I was waiting to make my usual coffee cake until tomorrow anyway....he gets home Thursday. if I had made it today I would have needed to make another Wednesday and then there would have been a few leftovers and i would have been busted big time.