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PEACHES & CREAM…A truly sublime dessert!

“Chocolate’s okay, but I prefer a really intense fruit taste. You know when a peach is absolutely perfect… it’s sublime. I’d like to capture that and then use it in a dessert.”
Kathy Mattea
Peaches ‘n’ Cream…

As summer proceeds & the weather becomes even hotter & hotter each passing day, we are rewarded by fruits as luscious as peaches! Strange are the ways of nature, where we are subjected to harsh, scorching summers on one hand, & rewarded with fruits as sweet & juicy as nectar on the other! No reason to complain, so moving on from juicy plums, I decided to explore peach in a dessert! SUBLIME!!
There is a proverb that talks about a “Peaches ‘n’ Cream” … complexion, traditionally, I would think! The only peaches & cream I can think of is that which goes straight to the hips!! Amy, can you hear me? Life is like that; good comes hand in hand with not so good, so onward we go! That’s what I like about us foodies…

Colour my world…

So then, while looking for peachy pleasures, found this on one of my fave haunts, Food Network…Vanilla Poached Peaches with Whipped Minted Yogurt, a recipe adapted from Donna Hay, Flavours, Whitecap Ltd, 1999. I was sold on the idea the minute I read the recipe. A few changes had to come about since I don’t have vanilla beans; poached the pears with whole spices (cinnamon & cloves). Just added a tinge of flavour, which was just right.

I made this peachy delight in wine glasses because I like the idea of individual servings that can be put together ahead of time…& also because I like dressing them up! A cinnamon scroll, a sprig of mint, a sprinkling of chopped pistachios…colours came together beautifully. DH is already asking me when I plan to make this again, & the son is on my case to make it for his friends on his birthday; “With the cream Mama“, he adds! Hmmmmmmmmmmm….

Did you know that the peach is:

  • low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium
  • high in Vitamin C, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Niacin and Potassium

The recipe as adapted from Food Network, as adapted from recipe adapted from Donna Hay, Flavours, Whitecap Ltd, 1999

Ingredients:
Poached Peaches:
Water - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Cinnamon stick - 1-2
Cloves - 8-10
Peaches - 10-12, split and seeds removed
Whipped Minted Yogurt:
Water - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Mint leaves - 1 cup loosely packed
Low fat Cream - 1 cup
Hung yogurt - 1 cup
Mint sprigs, for garnish
Pistachio nuts, for garnish (chopped roughly)


Method for the peaches:

  • Place the water, sugar, and whole spices in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. I threw in some mint leaves too for good measure!
  • Once the sugar has dissolved, add as many peaches to the pan as it will hold without piling or crowding, and poach over a low simmer for about 8 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Remove the peaches and finish poaching the remainder of the fruits.
  • When done, place the peaches in a glass baking dish, cut side down. Pour the syrup over the peaches, and refrigerate until chilled, for up to 8 hours. (I left them overnight).

For the yogurt:

  • Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan, stir and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Add the mint leaves and simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain and chill the syrup. (It becomes nice & thick when chilled; tastes like mint candy too).
  • In a bowl, whip the syrup and cream with a hand-held mixer until stiff. In another bowl, whip the yogurt until smooth and fold it into the cream mixture.

To serve the peaches: Place 3-4 peach halves in a wine glass, and dollop with some of the minted yogurt cream. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs, cinnamon scrolls and pistachio nuts. Serve chilled. (Can be put together in advance; I made it 4 hours in advance).

Everytime I see a peach, it reminds me of ‘James & the Giant Peach’, by Roald Dahl.

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 6th, 2008 at 7:04 am and is filed under Dessert, Fruit, Peach. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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