Roasted Peaches

Ever roast a peach? Well, you're gonna now! | SPG Recipe Collection

I don't even remember how I got into roasting peaches. I think it started roughly 4-ish years back when I discovered the joys of roasting strawberries, as much sense as that makes using an oven at 400 degrees F in the Summer in an apartment that was essentially an attic. What can I say...curiosity breeds brevity no matter what.

Truth be told, I am not even a peach fan. I'm a nectarine fan, really. And they have to be firm. However, peaches taste so much better roasted and you avoid that ridiculous "it's not a peach unless there's juice dripping down your arm" scenario. That's awful to efficient people who don't like to be sticky with fruit juice. Like, what if you are eating a peach on the way to a wedding and ruined your outfit? What if it's YOUR wedding and you ruined your outfit? Those would be some interesting photos. Unless you're from Georgia, and that's a whole different story. No, I'm just some boring Northeasterner who likes an efficient fruit experience and saves the juicy stuff for recipes like these.

So let's roll (see, peaches are round and roll....oh dear...)

Ingredients:

Well hello there, lovelies.

• Fresh peaches. That's it.

For this recipe, I used 1 quart of fresh peaches. You can get a whole bushel if you want, which I have done, especially before peach season is over. My recommendation is to go to your local farmer's market or find a farm market that specializes in peaches (such as my favorite, Scholl Orchards in Bethlehem, PA).

I also recommend getting "imperfects", which are exactly what you would guess: peaches that are too "ugly" to be sold for a perfect peach eating experience; but 1.) Imperfect peaches are often cheaper, 2.) They're going to be roasted, pie'd, or cobblered, anyway, and 3.) Nothing in life is perfect. In fact, imperfections can be delicious. Welcome to my philosophy cooking blog.

It's all peachy over here.

Make them:

• Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F.

• Cut your peaches into quarters (being careful to cut as much peach as you can without cutting into the stone in the middle. Unpleasant.)

• Place your peaches on a parchment-lined baking sheet (or sheets, depending on number of peaches).

• Bake for 20 minutes for just-caramelized or 25 minutes for DEEPLY caramelized. You will be able to tell from the pics which one I usually go for.

• Slide the parchment paper with the peaches on it to a cooling rack and let cool for 5-10 minutes before storing.

  
  

"Julia this is swell. HOW do I use these?"

Thanks for checking in! So glad you asked.

• Blend in a blender or with a stick blender in a bowl to break them down and create peach puree. Perfect portions of pretty peach puree can be stored in the fridge or in the freezer in portioned containers to use whenever you need. An ice cube tray works wonders.

• Use the fresh puree and some chopped pecans to top vanilla ice cream. (Add caramel? Who am I to tell you no?)

• Blend the fresh puree into your favorite barbecue sauce and brush on chicken or pork over the grill. Or make your own from scratch, if that's your thing.

• Or my new favorite way...Roasted Peach and Balsamic Dressing. Works on salads. Works as a dip. Works as a marinade. It just works and it knows it. Recipe up in a next feature!

Until then, take a look at these beauties.