Fresh peaches are one of the fragrant finds of summer.

Peaches: Summer’s freshest find
Cold snap in April boosted flavor of South Carolina crop
by Heidi Edidin

Check out any farmers’ market or produce section in town this time of year and before you can even see them, you can sniff out one of the fabulous and most fragrant finds of summer – fresh peaches.

More than 100 varieties
While the majority of the fresh peach crop purchased at local farmers’ markets and niche groceries in Charlotte comes from South Carolina, the fruit is native to China. The peach came first to Europe and then across the ocean to the United States. As many as 150 varieties of peaches are grown across the United States, of which at least 40 are grown in South Carolina alone.
Among the varieties, peaches can be divided into two categories: freestone peaches, where the fruit easily falls away from the pit, and clingstone peaches, where the fruit adheres to the pit.

Get me a towel
“The crop is actually a little lighter this year because we had a cool spring,” said Brent Paris of South Carolina’s Abbott Farms. “Temperatures really dropped in April, so that gave us a little scare, but it has worked out OK. The cold snap took what was already a crop with fantastic flavor and made them stupendous. You won’t be able to eat a South Carolina peach this year without a towel nearby.”
Paris said that over the years, local peach farmers have crossbred varieties so that now trees bloom and new varieties are harvested every few weeks, extending peach season from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The cling varieties come out before the Fourth of July; freestone peaches are sold for the remainder of the summer. Two of the most popular varieties are Red Globe and Crest Haven, which can both grow to be as big as softballs.

It’s a gas
When purchasing peaches, look for fragrant fruit that gives slightly to the pressure of your palm. Avoid fruit with soft spots or signs of greening. You won’t have any problems buying ripe peaches at farmers’ markets and peach stands, but if you buy other varieties from across the country at bigger grocery store chains, you may find the fruit to be slightly underripe. To ripen underripe peaches, place them in a paper bag with a banana or an apple for a day or two. The banana and apple both produce ethylene gas, which speeds the ripening process. This is also a good way to ripen underripe avocados and tomatoes. Unlike tomatoes, ripe peaches may be stored in the refrigerator, but raw peaches are at their best when eaten at room temperature.

Peach perfect
Besides being a great snack, peaches are superb when used for appetizers, entrees, condiments and desserts.
For incredible peach ice cream, follow your favorite recipe for vanilla ice cream and add peeled, chopped peaches during the last 10 to 15 minutes of churning and freezing time.
Or, make a fruity Bellini by mixing a puree of white peaches blended with an equal amount of the dry Italian sparkling wine known as Prosecco.
Of course, fresh peaches may be frozen for enjoyment during the winter or “put up” by transforming them into jam or jelly.
For a change of pace try this week’s peach chutney recipe. Mixed with fresh blueberries for color and flavor, the chutney is delicious with roasted pork tenderloin or grilled chicken.
Or try a couple of ripe peaches whipped into a sweet, fruit mustard to serve alongside a pistachio-crusted grouper.
Also included in this week’s recipes is the winning recipe from the 2004 South Carolina Peach Festival recipe contest – a peach pound cake by Jackie Blanton of Gaffney.
Ice the cake with peach cream cheese frosting. For information on this year’s recipe contest and peach festival, see the One-Tank Trip in this issue (page 13).

Peach and Blueberry Chutney
1 1/2 lbs. slightly underripe peaches
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup Ruby Port
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. garlic paste (or a clove of freshly minced garlic)
1 tsp. coarse-ground sea salt
dash of cayenne pepper

Peel and chop peaches into small chunks. Place in a mixing bowl and toss with lemon juice. Warm the Port and sugar in a large saucepan and stir until sugar dissolves. When the Port and sugar mixture comes to a boil, add the peaches, blueberries, ginger, cardamom, salt and cayenne. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and allow the mix to simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in minced garlic or garlic paste. Cool and transfer to glass jars or plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Freeze or refrigerate.

Sweet Peach Mustard with Pistachio-Crusted Grouper Fillets
For the mustard:
3 firm but ripe peaches
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the grouper:
4 (6-oz.) grouper fillets
salt and pepper to taste
flour for dusting
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 cups finely chopped pistachio meats
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc works well)

Combine all mustard ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse to combine the mix and then, with the machine running, drizzle the olive oil in through the feed tube until it emulsifies. The mustard is ready when the mix is smooth and thick. Reserve.
Season the fillets with salt and pepper to taste. Lightly dust each one with a little flour, then dip the dusted fillets first in the beaten egg white and then into the ground pistachios. Allow the crusted fish to sit on a cake rack for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add the crusted fillets to lightly brown on each side. Transfer the browned fillets to a baking dish and finish in a preheated 400-degree oven for 6-8 minutes. While the fish is baking, deglaze the skillet by adding white wine to the pan and scraping up any browned bits left over from frying the fish. Bring the wine to a boil and allow it to reduce to one-quarter of its original volume.
To serve, transfer the fillets to serving plates. Pour the white wine reduction over the fish and serve each fillet topped with a dollop of the peach mustard sauce.

Peach Pound Cake with Peach Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 small package peach Jell-O
2 1/2 cups fresh peaches, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond flavoring or extract
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup flaked coconut

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir dry Jell-O into sour cream and set aside. Add flour, baking soda and salt to sour cream mixture. Mix in flavorings, and then fold in the nuts, coconut and peaches. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 75 minutes or until golden brown.

Peach Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick margarine
4 Tbsp. peach juice
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
1 box confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. almond flavoring or extract
1/4 cup flaked coconut

Cream margarine and cream cheese with mixer until fluffy. Add almond flavoring. Add powdered sugar and peach juice gradually. Add nuts and coconut. (If mixture is too thick, add a small amount of milk.) Spread frosting on cooled cake.

Most of the fresh peach crop purchased at local farmers’ markets and in niche groceries in Charlotte come to us from South Carolina.