I love August.
August is the season of the peach and blueberries, too. (I've already made this blueberry twist bread twice this week.) So what speaks to August more than blueberries and peaches together? With balsamic vinegar.
Dressed up with a quick syrup of 6-year-old balsamic vinegar, sugar, and some of the blueberries, and left to marinate for just a short period of time, the peaches and blueberries are transformed into a fruit cup for the gods.
Do I exaggerate? Hmmm...
Nope. Don't think so...
Lilian Chou's Balsamic Blueberries & Peaches
Gourmet July 2006
3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 cups blueberries (about 1 lb)
1 lb peaches or nectarines, sliced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
Boil 3 tablespoons sugar with vinegar, and 1 cup blueberries in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Combine remaining 2 cups blueberries with peach slices in a large bowl. Toss with hot blueberry syrup and black pepper, then add sugar to taste. Let stand, tossing occasionally, 30 minutes.
(My one change to the recipe was to peel the peaches, and I didn't add any extra sugar at the end.)
Oh yeah, peaches are my favorite taste of the season - although the nectarines available at the Farmer's Market are running a very close second (no fuzz, after all). I made a peach + blueberry galette the other day, and am meaning to try some peach turnovers, but perhaps I should postpone all of them for this intriguing concoction!
Posted by: Tricia | August 17, 2006 at 09:30 PM
Nice twist on the traditional Italian strawberries and balsamic, one of my favorite summer desserts.
Posted by: Lydia | August 21, 2006 at 07:01 AM