APÉRITIF:
We have a tradition in my family the past few years to order peaches from The Peach Truck, a Georgia farm that tours the Northeast coast, selling the good stuff straight from the source. The first time we got them, we were astounded at the sheer perfection; each one was supremely juicy with supple, never even-close-to-mealy flesh. Last week, our perfect peaches arrived and my dad may have gone a little overboard in ordering a full bushels-worth aka 100+ peaches. Besides eating 2-3 peaches a day, I found myself seeking out new uses for their incredibly sweet flesh (petition to adopt another word for fruit insides please!) like some fruity adaptation of this monologue. Other than pulling an Elio, (side note—I couldn’t help but wonder why Luca left that scene out of Calamari By Your Name) I needed ideas. I turned where every modern journalist turns for intel: the Q & A function of Instagram stories. Today we’re sharing a selection of a few peachy ideas fitting for any stone fruit you find yourself with, plus a breezy summer menu of Dinner Plans for heat waves and cold wine.
ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:
DINNER PLANS
Coconutty Chicken Thighs with Melty Cabbage: Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs don’t need much more than salt, pepper, a short sear in a hot pan and a quick trip under the broiler. These ones, though, are soaked in a sweet, fishy, nutty marinade, roasted over hunks of cabbage and served with creamy coconut milk rice and a handful of chopped cilantro. A decent chunk of time in a very hot oven crisps the chicken skin to the perfect shade of golden and melts the cabbage into salty, caramelized translucent layers. It’s easy enough to make on a weeknight (and reheats well for lunch all week long afterwards) but special enough to make anyone you’re having over say “Wait, you made this?!” which is unsurprisingly a compliment I am constantly seeking.
Crispy Rice Salad: This one is a real “it’s-too-hot-to-move-or-cook-and-barely-eat” kind of meal. This may sound sacrilegious, but I frequently find myself picking up $1.50 containers of rice from the Thai restaurant down the block. Is it a waste of money? Probably. Does it save me time and ultimately stop me from ordering a full takeout meal from said Thai place? Definitely. I love their Nam Khao aka Crispy Rice Salad and often find myself iterating on a very, very pared down version of it with the aforementioned rice. I’ll compress it into little clumps, shallow fry them and serve alongside any cucumber, greens, as many herbs as I can, and lots of chili crisp. Sometimes I add an egg as a binder and basically make a fried rice salad. Adding toasted peanuts or cashews? Here’s an albeit slightly steppy recipe from Night + Market in LA that I use as a blueprint alongside this one from another (cursed) LA staple, Sq*rl.
Lamb Burgers: Yeah, it’s grilling season, but we don’t live in apartments with furnished roofs and thousand-dollar grills like the rest of you! For those also working with just a stove and a hot & heavy cast iron skillet, I suggest buying a pound of lamb and shaping it into 4-ounce patties, seasoning them with salt and pepper on both sides, setting that skillet over very high heat and searing those patties for 4-ish minutes on each side. While they cook, whip up what I call ~herby feta~in my house, which is just ~1/4 cup of feta, the zest of one lemon, and two small handfuls of roughly chopped herbs (parsley, mint, dill, a mix) creamed together with a fork.Spread a thick layer of the feta on some toasted English muffins (these ones are incredibly delicious) and then slide your sizzling lamb burger on top. If you do have a grill, first of all, I’m sorry for the grill shade, and more importantly, you should still make these by subbing in your grill for the cast iron skillet.
SO YOU HAVE A BUSHEL OF PEACHES
Peach Cobbler: There are not many bites better than one of a ripe peach fresh from the farmer's market — its soft and fuzzy skin that's still a little warm from the sun, the sticky nectar that runs down your fingers and into your palm. A peach like this only comes around every once in a while, so when I wind up with subpar ones, the goal is always to accessorize them in a fashion that transforms them into something as warm, sweet and juicy as they are in their most prime form. This dessert does just that by filling a baking dish with just-browned butter, dolloping batter right on top of said butter, and laying peach slices that have been soaked with sugar and cinnamon over everything. It bakes into a crispy, cakey, peach-y dessert that's almost as delicious as the most perfect peach.
Peach Chutney: Shoutout to Sifted reader Zach for this suggestion. I made this chutney the other day and god is it good. It starts by blanching and shocking peaches in ice water which makes the skins peel off in the most satisfying ASMR-adjacent way I have ever experienced (DM me for video 😉). It’s worth making the recipe just for that step alone. The final product is heavy on the cardamom and ginger with a good kick from some dried chilis. It’s layered, it’s nuanced, and it’s pure fire with some Unexpected Cheddar and my favorite overpriced crackers but I could also see her playing nicely with some chèvre and my second favorite overpriced crackers. The stuff of picnic dreams. If sweet in your salty gets you fired up I could also imagine this taking a grilled cheese from good to great. Note: I halved it and still ended up with about a pint of chutney, but I imagine it’d freeze well if you went with the full monty.
Peach Pound Cake: Don’t get me wrong, I will be making the Marian Burros torte with my peaches (and a splash of almond extract), but I can only recommend that recipe so many times before you all unsubscribe. So in the spirit of trying new things, I’m also making this simple peach poundcake (without a paywall here). Based on reviews and my own preference for less sweet-on-sweet things, I may add some liquor to the glaze (I love Campari in a citrusy glaze, but feel like a little Pimm’s in this would be chef’s kiss) or omit it all together. Or, if I’m feeling extra and remember to put the bowl in the freezer, I’ll do double-duty on the peaches and try out this gorgeously-hued ice cream.
TAKEOUT:
This. That’s all.