It’s just not summer without delicious, juicy stone fruit. Peaches are one of my ultimate favourites, and they have been especially beautiful this year. There are so many interesting things you can do with them, so I thought I would share a few ideas courtesty of some of my favourite blogs (and a few old favourites from my own archives) that will hopefully inspire you to get creative with peaches before the summer is over. I’ve also got a seriously delicious recipe to share with you too, at the end of the post. Enjoy!
Picture Credits: Bless Her Heart & Verses From My Kitchen
1. What could be better than peaches with your Pimm’s? Not much I imagine. Bless Her Heart gives us a lovely recipe for a Pimms Cocktail that has a triple hit of peach with peach bitters, peach syrup and lovely fresh peaches too!
2. Another lovely drink (with possibly the best name ever) is The Shucks Deluxe from Verses From My Kitchen. I love the sound of this summery drink with vodka, honey and a hint of rosemary. Yum!
Picture Credits: Endless Simmer & Cherry Tea Cakes
3. Yes, yes, I know I’m a little bit obsessed with boozy pops lately, but these Strawberry Peach Vodka Collins Pops from Endless Simmer sound amazing! I love the sound of peach, strawberry and vodka together in one adult iceblock.
4. This Peach and Lemon Thyme Ice Cream from Cherry Tea Cakes sounds pretty amazing. I love combining fruit and herbs and this recipe sounds like a winner!
5. This delicious Summer Verrine of Peaches and Honey comes courtesy of my friend Karen from Citrus and Candy, which looks like the best way to enjoy both yellow and white peaches, apart from eating them fresh with the juices running all the way down your arm!
6. Peach and Ginger is a lovely combination that works so well in this ice cream, especially served with a delicious gooey blondie. Or, serve this in ice cream sandwich form as in the original recipe from Whimsy and Spice via Design*Sponge.
7. How stunning is this Peaches and Cream Layer Cake from Always With Butter! I love the sound of the mascarpone ‘frosting’ that I think would truly let the peaches shine. I wish my birthday was in summer so I could have this as my cake!
8. This Yoghurt and Almond Cake with Caramel Peaches is one from my own archives and I had to include it because it’s a beautifully simple cake that is a great base for any number of flavours. I just loved this version topped with caramel peaches.
9. These Praline Peaches from What Katie Ate just look magical don’t they? They are baked in honey and served with a homemade praline and lightly sweetened mascarpone. I can’t wait to make these for my next summer dinner party!
10. Peaches are also lovely as part of a decadent weekend breakfast! I love the look of the Roasted Peach Crepes from Inspiring the Everyday. I mean isn’t that photo beautiful! I’ve never made crepes before but these with a little whipped cream and dark cherry jam look like perfection!
11. Steph from Raspberri Cupcakes did a wonderful job recreating the classic dessert Peach Melba into Macaron form with raspberry buttercream and poached peach. And aren’t the heart shapes totally cute!
12. As soon as I saw the Pork Pizza with Provolone and Peach in Gourmet Traveller, Ut Si Café was a must visit for our Tasmania trip early last year. And I’m so glad we did, because that pizza (changed up in different seasons and served with pear when we had it) was absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try it at home!
13. I’m so glad I have been able to finally make the Peach and Bourbon Pies that have been floating around in my head for such a long time now, and they were even more delicious than I imagined they would be! I used my favourite pastry recipe again, although I found it necessary to put it back into the fridge a few times because the heat made it quite tricky to work with, and the filling couldn’t be simpler. These little pies were very popular around here. They were great hot or cold, served with ice cream or completely plain. There’s one left and I think someone’s going to have to fight me for it!
Peach and Bourbon Pies
Serves 6
Vanilla Pastry (adapted from Gourmet Traveller)
• 450g plain flour
• 120g pure icing sugar, sifted
• 225g cold butter, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3-4 tablespoons iced water
Peach and Bourbon Filling
• 5 or 6 peaches (depending on size)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• ½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
To make the pastry, combine flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 3-4 tablespoons iced water and vanilla extract and pulse until mixture just combines. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). For the pie filling, peel peaches and remove stones. Cut each peach half into quarters, and depending on the size, you may need to cut them in half again. Combine peach slices and the rest of the ingredients for pie filling in a bowl and stir gently to combine. Set aside.
To assemble pies, roll two-thirds of the pastry between sheets of non-stick baking paper to 3mm thick and use to line 6 buttered 9.5cm diameter pie pans. Fill with peach mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to 3mm thick and cut into 1cm strips. Place strips over tops of pies in a lattice shape, press down and trim edges. Brush tops with egg wash and scatter with raw sugar. Bake pies for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.