Create a delicious sweet-meets-savory contrast by pairing fresh, juicy peaches with meats and seafood. These recipes highlight the versatility of peaches by balancing their sweetness with salty, herbal and spicy flavors.
Photo by Gina Moore
GRILLED FISH WITH PEACH-PEPPER RELISH
Serves 4
Relish
1½ cups peeled and chopped peaches
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1½ tablespoons chopped fresh mint
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ serrano pepper, seeded and minced
Fish
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon paprika
1 garlic clove, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless fish fillets (cod, sea bass, halibut, haddock or flounder)
Seafood seasoning
Cooking spray
In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine all nine relish ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
In a large, shallow glass baking dish, combine lemon juice, olive oil, paprika and garlic. Add the fish and turn to coat. Cover and allow to marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat outdoor grill or stove-top grill pan to medium-high. Remove fish from marinade and discard marinade. Sprinkle fish with seafood seasoning (or salt and black pepper). Coat preheated grill or grill pan with cooking spray. Grill fish for 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with peach-pepper relish.
Peach-stuffed tenderloin
Photo by Iuliia Nedrygailova
Serves 4
2 pork tenderloins (or one regular pork loin), butterflied
All-purpose seasoning
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup diced sweet onions
2 cups diced peaches
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white wine
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups peeled and sliced peaches
Preheat oven to 350 F. Season tenderloins all over with seasoning and set aside.
Warm a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Sauté onions until soft and translucent. Remove and cool slightly. Mix onions with diced peaches. Lay tenderloins on a large cutting board and cover with peach-onion mixture, leaving ½-inch space all around edges. Starting on a short side, roll up the loin all the way to the opposite side, like a jelly roll. Tie at one-inch intervals with kitchen twine. Dust with flour on all sides. Return the same skillet to medium-high and add remaining oil. Place the stuffed loins in skillet and brown on all sides. Add wine, cover, and put into preheated oven. Bake for 25–30 minutes, basting with pan juices at least once, until an instant-read thermometer reads 145 F. (If cooking a regular pork loin, bake for 55–60 minutes). Transfer pork to a platter and keep warm while finishing the sauce.
Return skillet to stovetop and bring juices to a simmer over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any bits from the bottom of the skillet and simmer until juices reduce to about ½ cup. If necessary, add more wine. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon and peach slices and simmer just until peaches are soft but not mushy. Spoon over the pork and serve.
Chef's tip: Click here to watch a video of Chef Belinda demonstrating how to perfectly butterfly a pork loin.
Peach bourbon-roasted chicken
Photo by Gina Moore
Serves 4
Sauce
1 cup peach preserves
3 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Chicken
1 (3–4 pound) chicken
All-purpose spice blend
½ onion, cut in half (two quarter pieces)
5–6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
½ lemon, cut in half (two quarter pieces)
6–7 sprigs fresh oregano
2–3 large peaches, peeled and quartered
In a medium saucepan, combine preserves, bourbon, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, cayenne and butter over medium heat. Simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat and let cool. Divide bourbon sauce between two small bowls, reserving one bowl to serve with chicken.
Place a cast-iron skillet into the oven and heat oven to 500 F. Rinse and pat dry chicken. Season chicken inside and out with the spice blend. Place onion, garlic, lemon and oregano into the cavity. Truss the legs and fold wings under chicken.
Remove hot skillet from the oven and transfer chicken to skillet. Brush chicken with half the sauce from one bowl. Return skillet to the oven and cook 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 F. Spread peaches around the chicken and cook an additional 40–45 minutes, basting occasionally with remaining sauce, until internal temperature reaches 165 F on an instant-read thermometer. If chicken is getting too brown, cover loosely with foil.
Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Cut into desired pieces and serve with reserved sauce and cooked peaches. Garnish with additional fresh oregano.
Oven ribs with peach barbecue sauce
Photo by Gwénaël Le Vot
Serves 2–3
1 slab spareribs or baby back ribs
Grilling rub, or your favorite dry rub seasoning
Sauce
¼ cup olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
6 medium peaches, peeled and chopped
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup bourbon
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup tomato sauce
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
½ tablespoon chili powder
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Juice from ½ lemon
Place slab of ribs on a piece of foil large enough to fold into a packet. Sprinkle grilling rub over the ribs, rubbing in thoroughly on both sides. With ribs meat-side down, tightly fold foil to form a sealed packet. Refrigerate overnight, if possible, to allow meat to absorb flavor.
In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in peaches, sugar, vinegar and bourbon (or water). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium. Add Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, red pepper, chili powder, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peaches and onion are very tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and let cool. Working in batches, transfer the peach mixture to a blender and purée until smooth. Pour into clean jars and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Makes about two pints.
Preheat oven to 250 F. Put rib packet on a rimmed baking sheet, and place in oven. Bake for 6–8 hours, until a fork easily penetrates the meat. Open the packet, pour off the accumulated juices, and discard the foil. Coat with sauce and allow to rest for 15–30 minutes. Cut and serve. The ribs can also be finished in 2–3 minutes on an open hot grill or under the broiler to create a little charring, then coated with sauce.