I have been on a serious peach kick lately! (Which is only natural for a girl raised in Georgia!) I’m completely and utterly a seasonal eater/baker/cook, and I love savoring the tastes of the season. To me, summertime screams fresh fruit, preferably locally found at a neighborhood produce stand or the farmer’s market! We have been devouring peaches, blueberries, strawberries, and pineapple a ton this summer, and our fridge and fruit bowl are overflowing with these fruits right now. I cannot stop raving to Rob how good our most recent pick of perfectly luscious peaches are… he’s not quite as into peaches as I am!
I’ve been having fun combining peaches in some newer combinations in recent weeks, and I wanted to share a few quick, easy peach-inspired recipes with you.
Peach Caprese
I’m not a huge fan of tomatoes, though it’s one of those foods that I always try to like (same goes for Rob). I love salsa, ketchup, pico, and most anything tomato-based, but I just don’t love the fleshy interior of a plain tomato. I will, though, make an exception for caprese. You can almost mask the tomato with fresh mozzarella, a generous handful of basil, and balsamic, and I have been craving caprese all summer long. The other day, I decided to substitute to tomato for peaches, and the result was fantastic! It’s such a simple “recipe” – and you can even keep tomatoes in the mix, too! This is SO addictive and so delicious.
Slice peaches and fresh mozzarella and combine. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and top with basil.
Peach Flatbread with Feta and a Balsamic-Honey Glaze
I’ve long been known as the girl who likes those stranger “pizzas,” and how can you blame me?! I love a good pepperoni pizza, but I also love the tantalizing combination of fig and prosciutto pizzas or pear and gorgonzola or fresh fruit and any cheese. My dad and Rob always tease me that these are not pizzas whatsoever, so I like to call these creations flatbreads to make them a little more fun and fancy sounding! Really, you could do just about any combination of a favorite seasonal fruit and a cheese like brie, goat, feta, gorgonzola, or fresh mozzarella.
I love using Trader Joe’s frozen naan as a base for flatbread or pizza. It’s the perfect size for an individual serving, and it takes about two minutes to heat up. I drizzled olive oil on the naan, baked it for about 2-3 minutes, and then added some toppings, which you can totally change up to suit your tastes and what you have on hand! I added crumbled feta and thinly sliced red onion, then popped it back in the over for about 4 minutes. Once I removed the flatbread from the oven, I topped it with sliced peaches, fresh basil, and a combination of honey with balsamic vinegar. (You can combine these two on the stovetop and serve warm – it’s the perfect drizzle!)
Fruit Pizza with Blueberries and Peaches
Apparently not everyone grew up with this sweet treat! One of my friends said it might be a Midwest thing, as her Michigan husband’s family loves this, too. Our family is from Ohio, and it’s been a sweet summertime tradition, particularly around the 4th of July, our entire lives. My sister and I both made fruit pizzas within the last week, and our husbands (both named Rob!) were a little thrown off at first. It’s one of the best and easiest desserts, and it only resembles pizza with a crust (sugar cookie), sauce (homemade cream cheese icing), and toppings (any combination of fresh fruit)!
Use one roll of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough, and press the dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, and then let it cool completely. For the icing, cream together 8oz (one block) of softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Spread it on the cooled cookie, much like you would a pizza. Slice any fruit (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, kiwis, and peaches are all favorites!) and arrange it on your pizza. Honestly, I always think the most fun part is decorating your fruit pizza in a fun pattern – that was always the point, as a child!
We served this at a sangria and fruit pizza night with friends by the pool – it’s really fun to eat (slice it up like a pizza!) and quite nostalgic. Kids would love decorating (and eating) this, too!
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Do you have any peach recipes that are your go-tos? My most recent Southern Living magazine just came, and it’s chock-full of peach recipes that I’m planning on whipping up next week, like peach + cream pancakes and peach cobbler. Yum!
And an old favorite of mine: peach-blueberry-blackberry cobbler!
