Peaches and Peaches
Last summer I wrote a post that pretty stridently said that I you don’t ever need to do anything to improve a peach. I thought that they were the perfect fruit. And don’t get me wrong, I still do. Kind of. But have you ever roasted a peach? Put it in the oven, let it soften and turn into a syrupy, sweet goo with the slightest bit of firmness at its core? That’s a peach.
Try this. Turn your oven on to hot. Let’s say 400.
Slice your peaches in half and pit them. They should be ripe, but not over-ripe. Arrange them on a skillet and top them with a little (not too much) of brown sugar, a sliver of butter, and a healthy amount of vanilla. While you are baking this, you can also toast some slivered almonds to top the peaches.
When this is done (in about 15 minutes) the juices of the peaches will form a lovely thick syrup that you can use to top the peaches. I think we can make this an exception to the rule about not trying to improve peaches. This only draws out and intensifies the flavors of the peach, so it’s not really gilding the peach.
What might be a step too far is this: agua de Jamaica. Hibiscus flowers (two cups) dropped in 2.5 liters of boiling water along with 1/2-1 cup of brown sugar. Let this steep for about an hour, strain it, then cool it overnight. This is a little tart but refreshing and works as a nice complement to the pleasant sweetness of the peaches
This is the perfect dessert for the summer.