Minted Poached Peaches Recipes

VANILLA POACHED PEACHES WITH WHIPPED MINTED YOGURT

Steps:

• Make the peaches: Place the water, sugar, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the vanilla bean and scrape the inside of the bean into the liquid. Add as many peaches to the pan as it will hold without piling or crowding, and poach over a low simmer for about 8 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Remove the peaches and finish poaching the remainder of the fruits. When done, place the peaches in a glass baking dish, cut side down. Pour the vanilla syrup over the peaches, and refrigerate until chilled, for up to 8 hours.
• For the yogurt: Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan, stir and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Add the mint leaves and simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain and chill the syrup.
• In a bowl, whip the syrup and cream with a hand-held mixer until stiff. In another bowl, whip the yogurt until smooth and fold it into the cream mixture.
• To serve the peaches: Place 2 peach halves in a shallow bowl, and dollop with some of the minted yogurt cream. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and raspberries.

MINTED POACHED PEACHES

Steps:

• Using a paring knife, lightly score an X into bottom of peaches (this will help with peeling later). In a large saucepan, combine sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, mint, and water. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes.
• Add peaches and enough water to cover. Bring to a bare simmer, and cook, turning occasionally, until peaches are easily pierced with a skewer, 6 to 10 minutes, depending on ripeness of peaches.
• Remove peaches with a slotted spoon; let cool slightly. Using a paring knife, peel peaches; return to syrup. Serve with mint sprigs.

VANILLA POACHED PEACHES WITH WHIPPED MINTED YOGURT

Steps:

• Make the peaches: Place the water, sugar, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove the vanilla bean and scrape the inside of the bean into the liquid. Add as many peaches to the pan as it will hold without piling or crowding, and poach over a low simmer for about 8 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Remove the peaches and finish poaching the remainder of the fruits. When done, place the peaches in a glass baking dish, cut side down. Pour the vanilla syrup over the peaches, and refrigerate until chilled, for up to 8 hours.
• For the yogurt: Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan, stir and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Add the mint leaves and simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain and chill the syrup.
• In a bowl, whip the syrup and cream with a hand-held mixer until stiff. In another bowl, whip the yogurt until smooth and fold it into the cream mixture.
• To serve the peaches: Place 2 peach halves in a shallow bowl, and dollop with some of the minted yogurt cream. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and raspberries.

THE DREAMIEST PEACHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven on broiler setting.
• Place peaches hollow side up in a pie pan. In a medium bowl, mix together crushed vanilla wafers, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon until crumbly. Sprinkle over peaches.
• Place under broiler, and cook until sugar is melted and bubbly, about 1 minute.

POACHED PEACHES

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Add lemon juice and peaches. Simmer until peaches are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, and let peaches cool in the poaching liquid. Using a slotted spoon, remove peaches from poaching liquid, peel, discarding skins. Slice peach halves into 6 wedges each. Transfer peaches and poaching liquid to a bowl. Cover; refrigerate until chilled.

CINNAMON POACHED PEACHES WITH MASCARPONE FILLING

Steps:

• Combine water, 1 tbsp sugar and cinnamon sticks in saucepan; bring to a boil.
• Set peach halves in saucepan, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove from water and chill.
• Meanwhile, blend filling ingredients until smooth.
• To serve:
• Place one poached peach half on each of 4 plates.
• Top with ¼ of filling mixture.
• Slice 2 remaining peach halves into 8 slices.
• Add 2 slices per plate to garnish.
• If desired, sprinkle with icing sugar and cinnamon.
• Place mint sprig on each plate.

POACHED PEACHES IN CHAMPAGNE

Steps:

• Make a very light incision all around peach skins.
• Plunge the peaches briefly into boiling water, then into cold water, and peel.
• Place in a shallow pan and douse with champagne.
• Add the syrup and vanilla bean.
• Bring to a slow boil over low heat, and poach peaches at about 185°F, but do not allow to boil.
• If peaches are very ripe, they will be poached after 5 minutes.
• Place peaches and syrup in a cool place, but do not refrigerate.
• Drain peaches, reserving the poaching liquid.
• Wash strawberries, remove any leaves, and purée in a blender or food processor.
• Place in a bowl and stir sugar into the purée.
• Stir romance whipped cream into the strawberry purée and add lemon juice.
• Serve on round plates, or in glass dishes or small bowls.
• Line the bottom of the dishes with strawberry cream and arrange the cooled, but not chilled, peaches on top.
• Garnish each peach with a mint sprig. Serve the chilled poaching liquid separately in a sauce boat.
• ROMANCE WHIPPED CREAM:.
• Using a wire whisk or electric mixer, beat heavy cream over ice cubes in a chilled mixing bowl, just until cream thickens. When peaks start to form, add sugar and vanilla. Then whip to the desired consistency.
• Yield: 1 1/4+ cups.

FROZEN PEACHES WITH STRAWBERRIES AND MINT

Steps:

• Sprinkle sugar evenly across bottom of a large straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven and place peaches, cut sides up, in a single layer on top. Scrape in vanilla seeds and add pod; scatter spearmint over. Pour in water to come halfway up sides of peaches. Bring to a very gentle simmer over low heat, stirring once or twice just to dissolve sugar. Cook peaches, turning once, until tender but not falling apart, 5-10 minutes. Let cool.
• Pluck out vanilla pod and spearmint from pot; discard. Stir in lemon juice. Remove skins from peaches (they should slip off easily). Transfer peaches, cut side down, to a 3-qt. shallow baking dish and pour poaching liquid over. Freeze until peaches are icy all the way through but still soft enough to cut with a spoon, 45-60 minutes (poaching liquid should be semifrozen and break into shards when scraped with a fork, just like granita).
• Scatter strawberries over peaches just before serving.
• Do Ahead
• Peaches can be poached 1 day ahead. Let cool in poaching liquid; cover and chill.