August has arrived, and with it, the glory of Ontario peaches. I realize that fresh peaches are available in every supermarket all year round, but not only are they prohibitively expensive, they're just not very good. In all honesty, I don't touch peaches in any form until I have a basket of Niagara freestones in my hand, and while either IQF or pouched fruit is infinitely better than canned, I still prefer to use them in preserves or pies, rather than having to eat them with a fork. Let's face it - Summer peaches are intended to be eaten leaning over the sink, or wearing a bathing suit with the immediate intention of jumping in the lake.
The downside to all this sticky, juicy goodness is that fresh, ripe peaches simply don't last that long. Even with three of us in the house eating peaches everyday, the huge baskets that we buy for a (relative) song at the market simply seem to never empty! Faced with the first few, almost-too-far-gone fruits, I knew it was time to get canning - and with the taste of the peach nectar almost like a fruity caramel, I wanted to see if I could, in fact, make a caramel-kissed preserve. I found a basic recipe on Martha Stewarts' website, which I decided to use even though I've struggled with some of her formulas before, and changed up the sugars to bring even more caamel-molasses notes to the party. Because nothing adds a touch of elegance like good-quality vanilla, I added a bit of my homemade stuff, and finally a shot of Scotch turned things in my mind from "caramel" to "butterscotch". While there is no dairy in the recipe (making either caramel or butterscotch a misnomer), it is definitely rich, and perfect to top ice cream (I suggest cherry or butter pecan) or plain yogurt if you want something lighter.
Please note, though - there is "raw" alcohol in this, so keep it from the kids (as if they'll see it at all!)
Scotchy Peach Sauce
Makes ~ 3 1/3 cups, 26 (2 tbsp) servings
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup brown sugar
5 large, ripe peaches, peeled and chopped
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp Scotch (I used Bushmill Single Malt)
- Combine white sugar and water in a small saucepan; cover, and cook over medium-high heat until sugar is completely dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Uncover and cook until sugar turns light amber, about 12 minutes. Watch carefully - the sugar burns quickly once it begins to colour.
- Stir in brown sugar and cook 2 minutes, until dissolved.
- Quickly remove pan from heat and stir in peaches.
- Place back on the heat and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the caramel re liquifies (it will seize when the peaches hit it) and the peaches are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add the vanilla and Scotch.
- Use an immersion blender to half-puree the sauce mixture, leaving some texture.
- Can 10 minutes in a waterbath.
Calories: 38.1
Total Fat: 0.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 0.8 mg
Total Carbs: 10.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
Protein: 0.2 g
*No, the name of this recipe is not intended to be an Anchorman reference.
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