In the Spotlight: Peaches
A new season is right upon us, although in many parts of the country, the weather hasn't quite received the memo. These limbo months of August and September leave me yearning for cooler temperatures and all things cozy, but we're not quite through the heady days of Summer just yet. Cue in the stone fruits; a seasonal favorite and cleverly transitional fruit family, which include peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines and apricots. These sweet and juicy gems cool off even the heaviest days of late summer, but also pair so perfectly with the spiced flavors of Fall (which means, you can cheat a little bit and pretend it's Fall a little bit early).
I have highlighted the peach for this Summer's "In the Spotlight" post, but really, you could substitute just about any stone fruit for these recipes and the results will be unique and delicious. Here, I've shared some of my favorite transitional recipes, while I eagerly wait for my favorite season to launch into full swing.
Who doesn't love a good flatbread. They balance the battle between my cravings for full-guilt pizza and my common sense for more mindful eating, by eliminating most of the offending ingredients. Additionally, they ignite my creativity with endless flavor combinations and color palates, and save me hours in the kitchen, because of the ease of their preparation. This flatbread hosts a homemade almond cheese base and is topped with yellow peaches, basil, almond slivers and a balsamic glaze:
Conscience friendly ice cream? Yes, please. This is one of the million variations that exist of the ever-so-popular banana based ice cream trend, which kicks out the sugar and replaces it with the natural, juicy sweetness of summer peaches and maple syrup:
Lastly, but certainly not leastly, this dangerously simple puff pastry tart takes less than 45 minutes to pull together, most of which is spent in the oven. Again, these pastry tarts are wide open to experimentation with different stone fruits, spices and toppings. And since most puff pastry packages contain two sheets, why not take advantage and make both. It is actually advisable to have a back-up, as this tart lasted all of 5 minutes before completely devoured:
As always, be sure to click on the photos for recipes, which can also be found alphabetically on the "In the Kitchen" tab. I'll be sure to share a few more seasonally transitional recipes before the Summer officially comes to a close and I am free (at last!) to whip out the scarves and slippers without the public eye of shame.
Now, to get this weather with the program....
Enjoy!