Just Peachy

I’m still not sure if it’s a curse or a blessing but on my daily commute through New York’s Northern Dutchess County I pass an excellent orchard called Migliorelli Farms. They grow an impressive variety of incredible fruits and vegetables, but right now I’ve only got eyes for one: peaches. Specifically giant white peaches: equally sweet but slightly less acidic then their yellow cousins. While I’m all for proper acidity in food when I’m eating a peach I just want a sweet refreshing burst of juicy flavor. On their own they are perfect, but those with a peach obsession as intense as mine will also find them excellent in salads and alongside grilled pork (bonus points if you score some peach wood to grill them over). And when I had dessert on the brain recently, I decided to grill a few off as a late evening treat and, since I was feeling frisky, throw in a generous splash of bourbon (ideally, Buffalo Trace). I prefer them with homemade English Crème, an ideal compliment to the vanilla notes of the bourbon, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream will work well too. Since stone fruit season is quickly coming to a close, I’m stocking up while I still can. JAKE L.

2 large peaches pitted and quartered

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar

1 shot of Buffalo Trace bourbon.

Add butter, cinnamon and sugar to a small pan and set over low heat. As the sugar caramelizes add the bourbon and cook down to a syrup. Once cooled toss the quartered peaches in the glaze.

Crème Anglaise

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

¼ cup white sugar

Gently heat the cream and vanilla in a small pan until they are nearly boiling. While heating the cream whisk the yolks and sugar in a large bowl. Very slowly add a few tablespoons of the warm cream to the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Gradually add the remaining cream being careful not to cook the eggs. Return to a pan and bring to just short of boiling (around 170 degrees). At this point it should be thicker then heavy cream and coat a spoon. Pass through a strainer into a bowl set in an ice bath to stop the cooking. You can serve immediately or it will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.

Grill the glazed peaches until tender over hot coals. Serve over the English Crème with mint and a small drizzle of the leftover bourbon glaze.