A circus in your mouth

Remember this Seinfeld episode?

Kramer: Well, they’re in…

Jerry: What’s in?

Kramer: The Macanaw peaches, Jerry!  The Macanaw peaches!

Jerry: Ah, right.  The ones from Oregon that are only ripe for two weeks a year…

Kramer: Yeah…I waited all year for this (bites the peach).  Ooooh, this is fantastic…Makes your taste buds come alive…It’s like having a circus in your mouth!  Jerry, this is a miracle of nature that exists for a brief period.  It’s like the Aurora Borealis!

Kramer may be exaggerating a little bit, but not much.  When you bite into a fresh peach for the first time each summer, your taste buds do come alive.  Sort of like you’ve never tasted anything quite so good before.  (By the way, there is no such thing as a Macanaw peach.)

Peaches are one of my favorite fruits.  But there is nothing more disappointing than biting into a dry, mealy, bland peach.  And so, I present to you tips for finding a peach that will make you very happy. 

Peaches, a member of the rose family (along with apricots, cherries, plums and almonds), don’t ripen after they are picked (although they do get softer).  So it’s important to choose fruit that is already ripe.

• First, look for an even background color of golden yellow for yellow-fleshed peaches or a creamy yellow for white-fleshed.  That red blush that you often see doesn’t have anything to do with ripeness.  Any green around the stem means it’s not ripe.
• Look for a well-defined crease.
• The flesh should give slightly.  If it’s a bit hard, they will soften on the counter at room temperature.  You can quicken the process by putting them in a paper bag.
• If the skin is wrinkled or shriveled, put it down.  It’s old and past its prime (I know the feeling).
• The best indicator of ripeness, however, is smell.  Take a nice big sniff…does it smell like you hope it will taste?  If so, then that’s the one you want.

Store peaches at room temperature until they soften to the extent that you wish.  Then put them in the refrigerator crisper drawer.  They’ll last for 5 days to a week in there.  Whatever you’re not going to use within that time, you should freeze.

For my money, the best way to eat a fresh, ripe peach is to eat it out of hand.  You know, when the juice drips down your chin and all over your hand.  Yum!

Another great way to bring out the flavors of a sweet peach is to grill it.  The fruit should be slightly firm.  Halve it, pit it and brush it with some vegetable oil.  If you’re adventurous, sprinkle a little cayenne or other spice on it.  Then grill over a medium fire until tender.  It’s good as a dessert (with some good vanilla ice cream), but even better as a side dish for grilled fish or meat.

Of course, there are a million recipes for peach cobblers, peach brown betties, peach crumbles, etc.  As usual, I turn to Cook’s Illustrated magazine for a great peach dessert.  But hurry!  Good peaches are only around for a short time—sort of like the Aurora Borealis!

BLUEBERRY-PEACH COBBLER WITH LEMON-CORNMEAL BISCUIT TOPPING (serves 6)
 Published July 1, 2004

I’ve also made this with blackberries.  If your peaches are firm, you can peel with a vegetable peeler.  If they’re too soft for that, blanch for a minute or two and shock in ice water.  The peels should come off easily.  In the topping, low-fat or nonfat yogurt can be used, but it will be a bit less rich.  This recipe can be doubled to serve a crowd.  Use a 13″ x 9″ baking dish and increase baking times in steps 2 and 4 by about 5 minutes.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  Left-overs (if there are any) can be reheated in a 350° oven until warmed.

INGREDIENTS

For the filling:

2 pounds ripe, but firm peaches
1 cup fresh blueberries
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch salt

For the topping:

1 cup minus 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tbsp stone-ground cornmeal
½ tsp grated lemon zest
3 tbsp plus 1 tsp sugar
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
5 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼” cubes
1/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt 

HOW TO

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425°.
2. For the filling: Peel peaches; then halve and pit.  Using a small spoon, scoop out and discard the dark flesh from the pit area.  Cut each half into 4 wedges.  Gently toss peaches and sugar together in a large bowl; let stand 30 minutes, tossing several times.  Drain peaches in a colander set over a large bowl.  Whisk ¼ cup drained juice (discard extra), cornstarch, lemon juice and salt together in a small bowl.  Toss peach juice mixture with peach slices and blueberries; transfer to an 8″ square glass baking dish.  Bake until peaches begin to bubble around the edges, about 10 minutes.
3. For the topping:While peaches are baking, in a food processor, pulse flour, cornmeal, lemon zest, 3 tbsp sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine. Scatter butter over and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about ten 1-second pulses.  Transfer to a medium bowl; add yogurt and toss with a rubber spatula until cohesive dough is formed.  (Don’t over mix the dough or the biscuits will be tough.)  Break the dough into 6 evenly sized, but roughly shaped mounds and set aside.
4. To assemble and bake: After the peaches have baked 10 minutes, remove them from the oven and place the dough mounds on top, spacing them at least ½” apart (they should not touch).  Sprinkle each mound with a portion of the remaining sugar.  Bake until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 16-18 minutes.  Cool cobbler on a wire rack until warm, about 20 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

As you would expect, peaches are abundant at many of our local farms and farmers’ markets.  Here are some places you can find peaches, according to the Penn State Co-op Extension. Check their websites or call to check for availability (click on the link below to see farm locations and phone numbers):

Active Acres Farm
881 Highland Rd.
Newtown, PA  18940
215-968-2192

Bechdolts Orchard
2209 Leithsville Rd, Rt. 412
Hellertown, PA  18055
610-838-8522

Bolton’s Farm Market
1005 Rt. 113
Silverdale, PA  18962
215-257-6047

Fairview Farm
831 Pineville Rd.
Pineville, PA  18946
215-598-3257

Lapinski Farm
1003 Middle Rd.
Dublin, PA  18917
215-249-3431

Manoff Market Gardens
3157 Comfort Rd.
Solebury, PA  18963
215-297-8220

Penn Vermont Fruit Farm
Rt. 113 & Rolling Hills Rd.
Bedminster, PA  18910
215-795-2475

Shady Brook Farm
931 Stony Hill Rd.
Yardley, PA  19067
215-968-1670

Snyder Farms
Rt. 313 & 5^th St.
Perkasie, PA  18944

Solebury Orchards
3325 Creamery Rd.
New Hope, PA  18938
215-297-8079

Solly Farm Market
707 Almshouse Rd.
Ivyland, PA  18974
215-357-2850

Styer Orchard
97 Styers Ln.
Langhorne, PA  19047
215-702-9633

Tall Pine Farms
1046 Swamp Rd.
Rushland, PA  18956
(Wrightstown and Doylestown Farmers’ Markets)

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