Late August in Washington is known for a big boom in stonefruit. Peaches, nectarines, and pluots are stacked in mountains around the markets. Farmers' stands look like exaggerated versions of still life paintings and it can be a little overwhelming. I mean, how much fruit salad can a person really stand?Which brings us to explore all the other ways we can employ all this summer abundance. My fruit of choice this last week at Bennett's was the peach, from which we made two different accompaniments fora grilled pork chop seasoned with a ras-al-hanout blend and some other spices.
Peach Salsa6 peaches
10 mint leaves
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup honey
Remove the skin and pits from the peaches and cut them into half-inch pieces. Chop the mint leaves finely. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and softly mix them together so as not to injure the peaches. Keep chilled until service.
Peach Gastrique
5 peaches
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
6 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2-1/4 cups Bonne Maman peach preserves
pinch of salt
dash of black pepper
dash of lemon juice
Remove the skin and pits from the peaches and chop them into quarter-inch pieces and set them aside.
Combine the sugar and water in a pan over high heat, constantly stirring until just when it begins to caramelize (about 4-5 minutes). Stir in the two vinegars, lower the heat to medium and reduce it all by half.
Add the peaches and the peach preserves, stir together and cook over the medium heat until they have dissolved into the mixture. Press the contents of the pan through a chinois and reduce the sauce again, this time by one third. Just before finished, add the salt, pepper, and lemon.
These are both really versatile recipes. I paired them with pork, but there are plenty of other places you could use these. Got any ideas? Share them in the comments!
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