I'm a peach man living in a grape house.
That conjures up images, doesn't it? No, my house isn't painted some Technicolor purple a la Dr. Seuss. Nor do I have flesh resembling the fuzzy pinky-orange hue of a peach. What I mean is that I love peaches.
I love them. I LOVE them. I LOVE THEM!!!
But sweet, sweet peach love is a mistress that I romance all by myself. Ed does nibble on grapes occasionally, but juicy bursts of most any fruit goodness just doesn't put a shine on his apple. Nope. When I bring home fat juicy peaches at their peak of ripeness I rest comfortably knowing that they are mine. All mine.
One year ago I shared my sticky sweet peach passions with Lis (La Mia Cucina) and Ivonne (Cream Puffs in Venice) for their first Festa Al Fresco event. Their virtual patio party featured picnic tables set with an abundance of foods made with fresh, seasonal ingredients gathered by food bloggers around the globe. I brought a pitcher of Garden Peach Margaritas to the party, made from fresh peaches and a touch of sweet basil plucked from my garden. Sadly, I was asked to leave the party early when, emboldened by a few refills of my margaritas, I tried to entertain myself by hatching a string of false rumors. I simply suggested to a circle of guests that Pim, Elise, and David were actually all the same person, just blogging under different names. Not one person could remember having seen them all in the same room together. Then, I whispered in a few ears that Keiko was under investigation for selling babies stolen from London's underground. Then I threw up and passed out in Lis' prized hydrangeas.
Some people just have no sense of humor.
I was warned that hounds would be released if I showed up at the party this year. I instead sought ideas for a peace offering to send. Inspiration came in the form of a comment I received on the Garden Peach Margarita posting last year:
My friend, you are a genius!
The frozen churned result is a lovely marriage of peaches, fresh lime juice, basil and tequila. Even though I call it a "margarita" sorbet, the result isn't something you'd envision yourself eating while perched on a bar stool. You'd feel more at home enjoying it on a soft carpet of shaggy grass in the middle of a peach grove in sunny California. I'm growing sad thinking that those juicy peaches will disappear from the market soon. I may make room in the second freezer for a few pounds of peaches, washed, pitted, sliced and stored away for future use.
Lis and Ivonne, I'll expedite a batch to the Festa Al Fresco and I hope you enjoy it. Christine, thanks for the inspiration!
GARDEN PEACH MARGARITA SORBET
4 large ripe peaches
3/4 cup sugar
3 TBS fresh lime juice
3 TBS tequila
1 and 1/2 TBS fresh basil, minced
pinch salt
Wash peaches (but do not peel), cut in half and remove stones. Slice peaches into large chunks and place in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and puree together until sugar is well incorporated and mixture is smooth. Chill peach mixture and then churn and freeze in ice cream maker according to directions.
Umm, those little flecks of basil and peach are gorgeous. Wouldn't this make a stunning sorbet????
Cheers,
Christine (myplateoryours)