Chilled Peaches in White Wine Syrup

Monday, June 15, 2015


June in the South is hot enough to make even the most fanatical outdoor lover want to stay indoors.  Today was no exception. The temperatures are still hovering in the 90's after dinner, and the leaves, bereft of even the faintest breeze hang limply on the trees.  This calls for a bit of after-dinner cheer to remind us again why it is we love summer. It's because of the peaches.  At least, that's one very good reason to love this hot month.  And this recipe by Mimi Thorisson is your key to a golden evening.  Don't expect to make them and eat them in an hour, though, since they need to be refrigerated at least 3 hours.  This calls for a bit of planning ahead, which I can be very bad at doing when it comes to food (anyone else a spur-of-the-moment cook?).

Here is the recipe, compliments of A Kitchen in France, which, by the way, is a cookbook you will most definitely treasure.  The photography alone is worth the price of the book!  Here is a link to Mimi's blog,  Manger which is a delight to read.

Chilled White Peaches in White Wine Syrup

8 white peaches (or yellow)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup white wine
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out, seeds and bean reserved
Grated zest and juice of one lemon
a small handful of fresh mint leaves

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Plunge the peaches into the boiling water for 10 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and peel them. Cut in half and remove the pits.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, wine, cinnamon, vanilla bean and seeds, lemon zest and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add the halved peaches and cook for 3 minutes, just to soften peaches slightly. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool in the syrup.

Sprinkle the cooled peaches with the mint leaves, cover, and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.

Serve peaches with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle the peach syrup over top.


1 comment:

  1. Beautiful picture. I could eat a huge bowl of those delectable peaches about now.

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