The new look is a surprise for many people. After all, generations of peach lovers so identify the fruit’s flesh as a soft yellow-orange color that the white peach can seem spooky.
Get used to it, folks, because the white peach is “a hot commodity right now,” according to Ian Merwin of Cornell University. Merwin, a professor of pomology, or fruit sciences, says that consumers are attracted to the white peach’s slightly higher sugar content compared with the traditional peach, as well as the novelty of the color. Growers are interested in the fruit because it brings renewed interest to the industry, which traditionally has marketed the fruit only by state designation, such as Georgia or California peaches.”There is a tremendous amount of emotion and allegiance to apple varieties among consumers,” Merwin says. “If someone is a Fuji apple eater and it’s not in the store, they might not substitute another apple, such as Granny Smith. With peaches, they only look for what is ripe.”
Although not as diverse as apples, peaches do indeed vary in color from reddish, deep pink and orange peaches to those with the palest flesh possible.
“I could give you about 30 names,” says Don Baiers, president of the Michigan Peach Sponsors Association in Berrien County, Mich. “But if we get too many names out there it will confuse people. They are used to looking for just a plain peach.”
White-fleshed peaches may be new to some markets, but they are a centuries-old tradition in Europe and Asia.
Native to China, peaches were once known as Persian apples, named for the part of the world that introduced the peach to Europe, according to The Food Lover’s Companion. But most of trees in this country produce fruit with yellow and orange flesh. And though California is the biggest grower of peaches in the U.S., it’s the South, not the West Coast, that is most readily identified as a peach-loving region; the fruit can be found from Georgia to Arkansas at any meal, pickled, canned and cobbler-ed.
But if consumers haven’t devoted too much thought to shades of peach flesh, it may be because it can be difficult to find one that tastes good. The peaches of our dreams ooze sweet juice from a flushed peach flesh. In reality, they often turn out hard, tasteless and uniform in color.
Peaches have their major botanical distinction at the core of the fruit, being divided into either freestone or clingstone varieties. Clingstone are mostly used in processing, and freestone are the peaches we eat out of hand. White peaches are marketed exclusively as fresh fruit because they discolor more easily upon processing than the traditional varieties, Merwin says.
Yet their potential appeal to consumers has led growers to increase the production of white peaches to 19 percent from 5.5 percent of the total crop in the last four years, according to the California Tree Fruit Agreement trade group. Much of the white fruit currently is being sold to Pacific Rim markets while U.S. marketing efforts develop.
As they enter the market, white peach varieties are going by such fanciful names as Snow Flame, White Lady and Champagne to compete with such traditional peaches as Garnet Beauty, Red Haven and Jim Dandee.
You don’t have to go south or west for white or regular peaches. Midwest farms produce plenty of their own, with Illinois ranking a respectable 13th place in the nation’s production. Michigan ranks sixth .
Farmer Herb Teichman of the Treemendus Fruit Farm in Eau Claire, Mich., proudly grows white peaches.
“The white are the most delicate and the most flavorful,” he says. “But they are so fragile .”
Eckert Farms in Belleville, Ill., which produces about 50,000 bushels of white and other peaches each season, started plucking the fruit in mid-June and finishes up in September.
Wherever they come from, make sure the peaches are ripe and ready for meals.
Savor their flavor with contrasting tastes such as salty cured meats or a poaching in wine. Peaches are wonderful when paired with almonds and almond cookies, because the nut has a faint, complementary bitterness.
Don’t overpower the delicate flavor of a peach with too much sugar. A buttery biscuit topping works well with the cooked fruit, as does a tart vinaigrette with bacon and lettuce. The season already is sweet and brief.
Like summer itself.
CHICKEN POTATO PANCAKES WITH PEACH SALSA
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from “Lee Bailey’s Cooking For Friends.”
Chicken pancakes:
6 medium chicken thighs
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups grated potato, squeezed dry
1 small onion, grated
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Hot pepper sauce
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter
Peach salsa:
2 large ripe peaches, peeled, diced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
6 green onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded, cut in strips
1 tablespoon each, minced: jalapeno, cilantro
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper; place skin side up in baking pan. Bake 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees; cook until meat is cooked through, about 15 – 20 minutes.
2. For salsa, toss peaches with lemon juice in medium bowl. Mix in green onions, tomatoes, jalapeno and cilantro. Whisk together oil, vinegar and honey in small bowl. Pour over peach mixture; toss.
3. Remove meat from chicken; chop coarsely. Set aside. Mix together potato, onion, flour, salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste in medium bowl. Stir in chicken; stir in eggs until well combined.
4. Heat oil and butter in large skillet. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake into skillet, patting down slightly to form patty. Fry until golden, about 2 minutes. Turn; cook through, about 1 minute. Drain excess oil from salsa with slotted spoon. Serve with warm chicken pancakes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 525 Fat ………… 44 g Saturated fat .. 11 g
% calories from fat .. 71 Cholesterol .. 170 mg Sodium ……. 470 mg
Carbohydrates …… 21 g Protein …….. 19 g Fiber ……… 2.8 g
PEACH AND RASPBERRY COBBLER WITH BUTTER BISCUITS
Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, you can use the top of a drinking glass.
Adapted from “Bill Neal’s Southern Cooking.”
Fruit:
8 large peaches, peeled, sliced
2 cups raspberries
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Biscuits:
2 cups flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup whipping cream
Flour, sugar
Vanilla ice cream
1. For fruit, combine peaches, raspberries, sugar, flour and cinnamon in large mixing bowl; pour into greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Set aside. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. For biscuits, mix flour, baking powder, 1 tablespoon sugar and salt in medium bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with pastry blender, two knives or food processor. Stir in milk and cream until just combined (don’t overmix); turn onto floured surface. Knead dough about 10 times; roll or pat to 1/2-inch thick. Cut into circles or other shapes with biscuit cutter; place biscuits on top of fruit. Sprinkle biscuits with sugar. Bake 35 minutes, or until biscuits are lightly browned. Serve with ice cream.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 360 Fat ……….. 10 g Saturated fat .. 6 g
% calories from fat .. 24 Cholesterol .. 30 mg Sodium …… 415 mg
Carbohydrates …… 66 g Protein …… 4.8 g Fiber ………. 5 g
PEACH DUMPLINGS WITH PEACH SAUCE
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 12 servings
Adapted from “Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes and Honest Fried Chicken,” by Ronni Lundy.
Peach sauce:
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large peaches, peeled, chopped
1 cup water
Dumplings:
1 1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large peaches, peeled, chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Topping:
1 cup chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. For sauce, mix sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, allspice and salt in saucepan; stir in peaches. Heat to boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened, about 10 minutes.
2. For dumplings, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Stir in peaches and pecans. Combine buttermilk and oil; stir into flour mixture just until ingredients are moistened.
3. Pour sauce into 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dumpling dough into sauce using large serving spoon, leaving space between each. Bake until dumplings are cooked through and sauce is bubbly, 30 minutes.
4. For topping, beat cream in bowl of electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla; beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Serve over warm dumplings.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 355 Fat ………… 13 g Saturated fat .. 5 g
% calories from fat .. 33 Cholesterol .. l30 mg Sodium …… 270 mg
Carbohydrates …… 57 g Protein ……… 4 g Fiber …….. 2.4 g
PEACH, BACON AND WATERCRESS SALAD
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Developed in the Tribune test kitchen.
6 strips thick-cut bacon
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon each: stone-ground mustard, honey
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 heads Boston lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup watercress leaves
2 ripe peaches, peeled, sliced
Cook bacon until crisp in medium skillet. Drain on paper towels; cool, crumble. Whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, honey and red pepper in small bowl. Combine lettuce, watercress, peaches and bacon in large bowl. Toss with vinaigrette.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 305 Fat ……….. 28 g Saturated fat .. 6 g
% calories from fat .. 81 Cholesterol .. 16 mg Sodium …… 325 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 8 g Protein …….. 7 g Fiber …….. 1.6 g
