There’s nothing more peachy perfect than a perfectly ripe peach. However, a perfectly ripe peach is rarer than, say, a perfectly ripe avocado or banana. That’s because some fruits continue to ripen after they are picked, while others, peaches included, don’t. If you do have a proper ripe peach, my go-to recipe is simple: slice it up (or don’t) and eat it as it is. If your peach is slightly under-ripe and too firm, however, then baking, grilling or shaving are your friends. The fruit may not continue to ripen once it has been picked, but its sweetness is still in there, ready to be drawn out.
Chicken schnitzels with soy and grilled peach salsa (pictured top)
Under-ripe and ripe peaches will both work in this salsa, though you may need to adjust the amount of maple syrup, depending on the ripeness, and therefore sweetness, of your fruit.
Prep 35 min
Marinate 30 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4
For the chicken
4 x 150g chicken breasts
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed (25g)
10g ginger, peeled and grated
1½ tsp English mustard powder
3 limes – 2 juiced, to get 4 tbsp, 1 cut into wedges, to serve
Salt and pepper
3 eggs, beaten
90g plain flour
150g panko (or regular) breadcrumbs
250ml sunflower oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
For the salsa
5 peaches, stoned and cut into quarters (600g)
60ml olive oil
2 plum tomatoes (230g)
3 fresh jalapeño chillies, deseeded and finely chopped (70g)
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped (50g)
1 tsp maple syrup
Pat dry the chicken with kitchen towel, then place one breast between two sheets of baking paper. Using a rolling pin, bash out the chicken to ½cm thick. Place on a tray, repeat with the remaining breasts, then add the garlic, ginger, mustard, two tablespoons of lime juice and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and toss to coat. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight).
Put a grill pan on a high heat, and mix the peach quarters with a tablespoon of olive oil. Once the grill is very hot, grill the fruit for about two minutes on each side, until it gets clear char marks, then transfer to a large bowl. In the same pan, grill the tomatoes for about 15 minutes, until the skin is black and blistered and the tomatoes have softened, then remove from the grill and leave to cool.
Peel the peach quarters, cut them in half lengthways, then cut each half widthways into three or four pieces. Return the peaches to the bowl. Peel all the blackened skin off the tomatoes, then finely chop the flesh and add to the peach bowl. Add three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, the jalapeños, shallots and maple syrup, toss to combine and set aside.
Put the oil in a large frying pan set over a medium-high heat. Set up a breadcrumbing station with the flour mixed with a quarter-teaspoon of salt on one flat tray, the eggs whisked with another quarter-teaspoon of salt in a wide, shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs on another flat tray. Dust one chicken breast in the flour, shake off any excess, then dip in the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off. Coat in the panko, pressing down firmly so it gets evenly coated, then transfer to a large tray and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Fry the breaded chicken breasts two at a time for two to three minutes on each side, until golden, then drain on a tray covered with absorbent kitchen paper and repeat with the other two breasts.
Mix the remaining lime juice and olive oil into the salsa, then spoon it into a small bowl.
Cut the chicken in half diagonally, arrange on a large platter and serve with the soy sauce and salsa in separate bowls on the side.
Peach salad with chilli, ginger and lemon dressing
The crisp aromatics and dressing can both be made up to a day ahead.
Prep 20 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 2 generously
60ml olive oil
2 red chillies, thinly sliced
1-2 lemons – 2 strips of skin peeled and julienned, and juiced, to get 2 tbsp
10g piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
3 whole star anise
Flaked sea salt
1½ tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup
4 unripe peaches – you need quite hard ones here
2½-3 tbsp (10g) coriander leaves
3 spring onions, trimmed and julienned
½ red onion (60g), thinly sliced
Put the oil in a small saucepan on a medium-high heat and, once hot, turn down the heat to medium, add the chillies, lemon peel, ginger and star anise, and fry for two-and-a-half to three minutes, until crisp – take care that the aromatics do not burn: if the chilli and ginger look as if they’re colouring quickly, take the pan off the heat to cool down.
Strain the aromatics through a heatproof sieve into a heatproof bowl to collect the oil. Transfer the crisp aromatics to a small plate and sprinkle over a quarter-teaspoon of flaked salt. Add the soy sauce, maple syrup and lemon juice, stir and set aside.
Just before serving, use a mandoline (or a very sharp knife) to cut each peach into thin shavings, stopping when you get to the pit. Turning the peach and repeat, to shave the rest of it. Put the peach shavings in a large bowl with the coriander, spring onion and red onion, pour over the dressing, then toss gently. Transfer to a platter, top with the crispy aromatics and serve at once.
Sunken peaches and cream cake with brown butter and cardamom
Ripe, in-season yellow peaches work like a dream here, but keep hold of the recipe for the rest of the year, too: this cake is forgiving enough to work just as well with semi-ripe fruit and even drained, tinned peaches. Whatever you use, it’s best eaten warm on the day it is made.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 30 min
Serves 6
150g unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes
20 green cardamom pods
200g caster sugar, plus 1½ tbsp extra
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
3 egg whites, from 3 large eggs (save the yolks for another use)
200g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
300g soured cream
3 ripe, medium-sized yellow peaches, halved, stoned and each half cut into 6 wedges (ie, 36 wedges in total, 300g net weight)
150ml double cream, plus 2 tbsp extra
2 tbsp icing sugar
Put the butter in a small saucepan on a medium-high heat and cook, whisking occasionally, for about five minutes, until it turns a deep amber colour and smells nutty. Pour into a heatproof bowl and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes, until it’s solidified again: you want it to be the consistency of coconut oil (ie, not rock-solid), so keep an eye on it.
Heat the oven to 190C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Grease and line a 23cm x 23cm brownie tin with greaseproof paper, leaving a 3cm overhang on two opposite sides (this will make it easier to lift out the cake later).
Bash the cardamom pods to remove the shells (save these to infuse sugar, or to add to freshly brewed tea for even more fragrant cupfuls), then finely grind the seeds in a mortar. Set aside a quarter-teaspoon of the crushed seeds and put the rest in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Add all the now semi-solid browned butter, 200g caster sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla paste, then cream on medium speed for about two minutes, until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the egg whites in two batches, scraping down the bowl as needed and mixing until everything is just combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt, add half to the stand mixer bowl and beat until just combined. Add half the soured cream, mix to combine, then incorporate the remaining flour mixture. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and smooth out the surface. Arrange the peach slices on top – don’t worry about being too neat, because most of them will get swallowed up by the batter as it bakes and rises. Mix the remaining tablespoon and a half of sugar with the reserved cardamom seeds, sprinkle evenly all over the top of the cake, the spoon over the extra two tablespoons of double cream.
Bake the cake for 30 minutes, rotate the tin, then bake for 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven, leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then use the paper overhang carefully to lift it out and on to a cooling rack. Leave for about 15-20 minutes – you want it to be still warm.
Meanwhile, put the 150ml double cream, the remaining 150g soured cream, the last two teaspoons of vanilla paste and all the icing sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place. Whisk on medium-high speed for about a minute, until the mix is whipped to soft peaks, then chill.
Serve the cake warm, with the whipped cream alongside.
