Isn’t this Peachy?

The seemingly endless bounty of summer fruit is something I always relish. Throughout the winter, we subsist on rations of lonely pears and apples and, boom, summer arrives and you’re surrounded by an overwhelming selection of a rainbow of fruit.

Red watermelons. Orange canteloupes. Green and orange-flesh honeydews. Yellow and red Mount Ranier cherries. Blueberries. And peaches. Glorious peaches. (The best is when you eat a piece of fruit and the juice runs down your face and arms.)

Over the last five years or so, Texas peaches have been in short supply or non-existent with either a drought or too much rain, so we’ve been pretty much peach-challenged and have had to resort to eating peaches from Colorado or California, which were quite good, but they aren’t Texas peaches.

Fortunately, this year the weather has cooperated and the peaches are plentiful, juicy and delicious…which means I’ve got lots of them (some of them are even seconds…see the nice bruised peaches below?) and need something new and exciting to make.

While I love a good peach cobbler, it just seems so cliche. Plus, with the abundance of heat and humidity we’ve been enduring lately, I was thinking more along the lines of a sorbet…something that would cool us off a bit.

When I came across a sorbet recipe from my favorite ice cream and dessert guru, David Lebovitz, I was inspired. Actually, his recipe is a nectarine sorbet, but he indicates that peaches will work just as well.

And doesn’t that sound peachy?

Buen provecho!

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Peach Sorbet

The original recipe calls for 6 nectarines, but Lebovitz writes that 7 peaches can be used instead. I also think that strawberries, mangos or even honeydew could be used. Of course, I would not cook the honeydew (just puree the water, honeydew and sugar together), but the thought of a honeydew sorbet sounds fantastic right now. Just be sure and use 2 lbs. of whatever fruit you choose.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword fruit

Servings 1 quart

Author The Cowgirl Gourmet slightly adapted this recipe from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Ingredients

• 7  ripe peaches about 2 pounds
• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3  cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon kirsch or 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. Slice the peaches in half and remove the pits.

   

2. Cut the unpeeled peaches into small chunks and cook them with the water in a medium, nonreactive saucepan, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they’re soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add a bit more water if necessary during cooking.

   

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Let cool to room temperature. When cool, purée the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in the kirsch or lemon juice.

   

4. Chill the mixture thoroughly for several hours, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

   

5. When ready to serve, allow sorbet to soften slightly before eating for sheer and utter peachy perfection.