It's Time for Peaches
I love peaches. My grandmother had a small peach tree in her back yard. How I loved that tree!
However, the small round fruit seemed to stay green for WEEKS before ripening to the classic orange red glow in August.
Moving to the Grand Strand area, I discovered a peach paradise. South Carolina peaches are by far, some of the best I have ever tasted. Ripe juicy local peaches appear around Memorial Day and remain in markets until Labor Day calls a halt to summer. Of course, several varieties take their turn in ripening.
Johnson’s Stand at the Waccamaw Farmer’s Market in North Myrtle Beach even had white peaches on sale last week! White refers to the flesh of this peach, an especially sweet and juicy type of peach, with a delicate flavor. It’s sort of the champagne of peaches.
Peaches are good for you too. South Carolina. The South Carolina Peach Council in Colombia, (http://www.scpeach.org), notes, “Peaches are a very good source of antioxidant Vitamin C which helps the body boost its immune system. In addition, they are a good source of Vitamins A & B, energy, potassium, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and iron.”
My favorite way to eat peaches was, is and probably always will be is to simply munch a freshly washed peach still warm from the sun, them out of hand. However, the abundance of peaches on counter (I have a hard time resisting a basket of fresh peaches) pushed me to experiment with classic desserts and interesting , new to me savories.
The Peach Council offers a classic Peach Cobbler among other sweet and savory recipes. Samantha Tipton, Executive Director of the Waccamaw Market Cooperative offered her recipe for roasted peaches with goat cheese and hone. She points out that both of those items are also available at the market. For locations of the Waccamaw Market, which circulates around Horry County one day in each part of the county, each week, check out the Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/WaccamawMarketCooperative/?fref=ts
For a main course savory, I recalled that Croissants Bakery and Bistro had something in their recipe book on peaches and pork. Indeed, Heidi Vukov notes that “Fresh fruit(peaches) lightly charred on the grill balances the pungency of the juicy pork in the recipe she has graciously allowed us to reprint from her cookbook, Bonjour Y’all.
Unlike the short season for peaches in my grandmother’s backyard, here on the Grand Strand we can luxuriate in the is tasty versatile fruit all summer long. So, make room on the table and in your recipe file for peaches in all categories. If you have a favorite peach recipe, share it with me on the Sun News Facebook page in the comments section , so all of our reader friends can also enjoy it. Happy eating.
Samantha Tipton’s Roasted Peaches with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
2 large ripe yellow peaches, halved
4 TBSP goat cheese
2 TBSP honey
1/3 cup roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Scoop out peach pits and roast peaches halved side up on a lined baking sheet for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven, let cool briefly then scoop one tablespoon of goat cheese in the center of each peach half. Drizzle honey over the peaches and top with roasted hazelnuts.
I also just keep them on my desk to eat as a snack!
Perfect SC Peach Cobbler, courtesy of the SC Peach Council
Ingredients
6 cups sliced peaches
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
6 Tbsp butter, melted
Method
Place slice peaches in a baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix the flour, sugar and egg until crumbly. Spread this mixture over the peaches. Pour melted butter over the top and bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes.
Joan’s Note: I’ve seen other cobbler recipes that add ginger and/or cinnamon and/or nutmeg and even blueberries to this basic cobbler.
Heidi Vukov’s Peach Pork Tenderloin, Reprinted courtesy of Heidi Vukov and Sara Sobota
from their recipe book, Bonjour Y’all, BBQ Sauce recipe Follows
Makes four servings. Prep time, 90 minutes, Cook time, 30 minutes
Note: This recipe calls for peach BBQ sauce. Before you try to hunt it down at the grocery store, check out Heidi and Sara’s recipe for this delightful sauce. I would advise making the sauce the day before to let the ingredients “blend” well before using it. The recipe makes one quart which will give you enough for this recipe and to use one more time.)
Ingredients
For the Pork
1 (1 pound each) pork tenderloins
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Peach BBQ Sauce
For the Potatoes
1 ½ pounds red bliss potatoes, quartered
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Peaches and Vegetables
4 fresh peaches, sliced
1 red onion, julienned
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup baby spinach
For the Assembly
½ cup Peach BBQ sauce
Method
For the Pork
Preheat the grill to medium high
Rub pork tenderloins with olive oil and season with salt and pepper
Place tenderloins on the grill grate and allow to cook three to five minutes per side. Keep rotating to ensure the pork is cooking evenly. Brush each tenderloin with ½ cup of the peach BBQ sauce.
Cook until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.
For the potatoes
Pre heat oven to 350
Toss the quartered potato wedges with the oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown.
For the Peaches and Vegetables
In a large bowl, add the cooked potatoes, sliced peaches and onion. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour the whole vegetable mix over the grill grate. Spread mix in an even layer to ensure all pieces are cooked evenly.
Allow them to cook for 4-5 mintes, then turn over on the grill. Continue cooking until the vegetables and the peaches are cooked.
Transfer the ingredients back to a bowl and add spinach. Toss all together and re-season with salt and pepper
For the Assembly (on each plate)
Put 2 Tbsp of Peach BBQ sauce on each plate and spoon the vegetables over the sauce. Slice the well rested tenderloins and “shingle” over the mixture.
Peach BBQ Sauce, reprinted courtesy of Heidi Vukov and Sara Sobota from Bonjour Y’all
Makes 1 quart. Prep time 30 minutes, cooking time, 90 minutes.
Joan’s Note: If making it to use on the pork tenderloin, make it the day before
Ingredients
1 ½ tsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion
1 tsp stripped and chopped thyme leaves
1 Tbsp peeled and chopped garlic
1 15 ounce can sliced peaches in heavy syrup
1/ tsp ginger powder
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 Tblsp Molasses
¼ cup Jack Daniels whiskey
Method
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion. Stir and cook until onions begin to caramelize and turn brown. Add thyme and garlic. Continue to cook 3-5 minutes. Add peaches and syrup and remaining ingredients. Simmer for one hour or until the mixture begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour cooled mixture into blender and blend until smooth.
Note from Joan: You can save this in the refrigerator for a few days. It would also be delicious on sautéed chicken or on a mild white fish.
This story was originally published June 28, 2016 at 5:36 AM with the headline "It's Time for Peaches."