By Nikol Nakamura / Tulalip Resort Casino
I look forward to this time of year when the best fruits are fresh and ready for baking or snacking. Cherries, apricots, plums and especially peaches. This delectable fruit is so versatile as it can be grilled, roasted, turned into jam and baked into cobblers, pies and cakes. Just about anything!
Typically harvested June through August, peaches have their own “holiday.” Tuesday marks “Eat A Peach Day” this year. You won’t feel guilty about celebrating this sweet and juicy fruit since it is an excellent source of vitamins A, B, C, E and K, plus potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese and zinc.
I am going to give you an amazingly simple recipe for a fresh peach compote that lets the flavor of fresh peaches shine in four different applications. The compote is great alone on buttered toast or pancakes. You can keep it in the fridge to have on hand for an easy-to-make summer drink like a peach bellini, or create a show-stopping peach melba sundae as a play on the classic dessert. It’s also a squeal-generating, fun snack for the kids — think peach “pop tarts.” Or how about a mouth-watering brie and peach compote grilled cheese sandwich with hot honey? Yum!
Have I got some ideas for you. Here we go!
Fresh Peach Compote
Ingredients:
2 pounds ripe peaches (chopped with skins left on)
½ cup brown sugar, based on ripeness of peach (adjust sweetness to your liking)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cinnamon stick
In a heavy bottomed pot, cook chopped peaches, brown sugar, lemon juice, water, salt and cinnamon stick for about 5 minutes or until the peaches have broken down. Use a potato masher to further break down the peaches. Cook until the mixture is reduced but still saucy.
Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Allow it to cool completely and store in the refrigerator for a week or freeze for up to three months.
Peach Bellini
Take a little more than a quarter cup of the compote and blend it (in a food processor, blender, hand blender) and strain. Add 2 tablespoons of the puree into a champagne flute and top with prosecco.
Peach Melba Sundae
Take two scoops of vanilla ice cream, top with peach compote, fresh raspberries and toasted almonds.
Peach “Pop Tarts”
Ingredients:
½ cup (1 stick) butter, cubed and cold
⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 ¼ cup pastry flour
1 egg yolk
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixer with the paddle, cream the butter, sugar and salt until creamy, scraping the sides as you go.
Add the egg yolk and then the pastry flour. Mix until the flour is incorporated.
Remove dough from mixer, flatten into a round, wrap in plastic and chill for an hour.
Roll the dough to a ⅛-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface, roughly the size of a half sheet pan. Cut evenly in half. One half will go onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.
Spread peach compote evenly, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. With an egg wash (one egg mixed well with 2 tablespoons of water), brush the border to adhere the second half of the sweet dough. Use a fork to crimp the sides to keep the filling from oozing too much. Brush top with more egg wash and bake for about 25 minutes.
Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Tip: To save time, you can purchase frozen puff pastry sheets and make individual turnovers or a big “pop tart,” as above.
Brie and Peach Compote Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Starting with two slices of sourdough (or your favorite type of bread), place a layer of thin slices of brie and drizzle with hot honey on one bread slice, then spread with peach compote. Place thin slices of brie on the other slice of bread.
Slather both sides of the sandwich with softened butter; place into frying pan (medium heat) and slowly begin toasting the grilled cheese. (I cook it on lower heat so that the cheese can thoroughly melt while also heating it through.) Once toasted on one side, flip and repeat. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes before cutting it in half.
Pastry Chef Nikol Nakamura orchestrates the dessert program at Tulalip Resort Casino’s award-winning restaurants, including fine and casual dining operations, espresso outlets, room service and on-site catering.
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