Unseasonably Peachy

I make it a rule to try to eat locally sourced foods in season but some times the market will have an out-of-season fruit so beautiful I can't resist it.   These white peaches from Spain were my latest transgression.  You will recognize them from the photograph at the top of this page.

I was pretty sure they would be hard as bullets when I bought them ...and they were. I hoped they would ripen in time but they started to wrinkle rather than ripen.  It was time to use them or loose them.  

I find that slightly under ripe peaches are greatly improved by peeling them, slicing then into bite sized pieces, and macerating them with a spoonful of sugar.  The tricky part is the peeling.  

Here's an easy trick that will work on peaches and tomatoes.  Place the fruit into a large bowl, pour over boiling water and wait for about 60 seconds.  Remove the peaches from the hot water and let them cool for a minute or two.  Using a paring knife, the skins should easily slip off the flesh.  

I used a spoonful of vanilla sugar for these lovely peaches, then placed them in the refrigerator for an hour or two.  The sugar softens the flesh and makes a delicious syrup from the juice.  I have to say, these tasted just as good as they looked!