I recently attended the annual Peach Fest at Apex Orchards in Shelburne. For two perfect sunny days the orchard welcomed members of the public to shop at vendor booths, listen to music, eat lunch, and of course pick and purchase peaches.
My role was twofold. First, I served nibbles from one of my books to members of the public and talked to them about peaches… and even about apples, which were just starting to come in.
Next, I was part of a panel that evaluated the entries in the peach recipe contest. I have been a recipe judge at Apex for several years now. I love seeing the novel ways home cooks come up with to use seasonal produce.
There weren’t a lot of entries, but all were delicious. We tasted two pies, one plain peach and one peach-blackberry.
I had never thought of combining peaches and blackberries, but now that I have tasted them together they make sense as a pair. Both thrive in August so they come into season together. More importantly, the tart blackberry offsets yet somehow enhances the sweetness of the peach.
There was also an intriguing confection, a dark-chocolate sweet with peach filling. The entry deemed to have the best presentation was a group of peach cake pops. Those were truly beautiful.
First prize went to a savory dish. Much as I enjoy sweets, I must admit that I adore savory concoctions that take advantage of sweet fruits like peaches. The sweetness pops, but so does the salt.
That savory dish was a Flatbread Pizza created by Don Miner of Suffield, Connecticut. Actually, I found out after the fact, it was co-created by Don and his wife, Amy. Technically, she entered the blackberry-peach pie, and he entered the pizza, but she told me later that they created both entries together.
The pair, who married only recently on June 20 of this year, were visiting Apex for the first time. They had seen the contest advertised on Facebook and decided to create a couple of entries. The Miners enjoyed their visit and especially appreciated the views from the orchard.
They have already made plans to come back in the fall with Don’s children and grandchildren for a tractor show… and of course to get in some apple picking.
Amy explained that both are cutting back on work and easing into retirement. Don in particular didn’t have much time for cooking in his 35 years as an E.M.T. and what his wife calls a “volunteer-aholic.”
Now the Miners love to plan meals and cook together. “Don is great as my sous chef and has been learning so much in the kitchen,” Amy told me. “I started him off by subscribing to meal boxes like Home Chef and letting him take over cooking entirely.
“After the first few boxes he did in his own, he said ‘Anyone can cook, really. Those boxes come with handy direction cards, and if you can read, you can cook.'” She then introduced him to cookbooks, which he enjoys using.
Amy added that Don even does the dishes. “He really is a peach,” she noted proudly.
The pizza uses mostly pre-found ingredients, including purchased naan, barbecue sauce, a rotisserie chicken, and a peach balsamic glaze the Miners found at Aldi. One could make these oneself, of course.
The commercial products came together nicely, however, and are a definite time saver, particularly if like Don the cook is still learning the basics of cooking.
Happy peach season!
Barbecue Chicken and Peach Balsamic Flatbread Pizzas
Ingredients:
4 mini naan flatbreads
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
barbecue sauce to taste
1 fresh freestone peach, pitted and sliced thinly, peeled or unpeeled (I personally would not peel it; peach skin is delicious and full of fiber.)
1 to 2 cups diced rotisserie chicken (as needed)
1 to 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (to taste)
peach balsamic glaze to taste (To this Don and Amy added a tiny bit of fresh peach juice from the cutting board, but they cautioned me against using too much juice for fear of making everything soggy.)
1 slice (more if desired) prosciutto
1/2 cup microgreens or arugula
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Brush the flatbreads lightly with the olive oil; then spread on some barbecue sauce as desired. Layer peach slices over the top.
Spread the chicken pieces randomly over the peaches.
Sprinkle as much mozzarella on top as you wish, using enough to hold the ingredients together once the cheese melts. Finally, shred the prosciutto and place it over all.
Bake until the mozzarella melts and browns a bit, about 15 minutes.
Remove the flatbreads from the oven and let them cool slightly. Drizzle with the glaze, and sprinkle the microgreens (or arugula) on top.
Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning cookbook author and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.
