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Summer Peaches

One summer, the peaches were so amazing that I didn’t want to do anything to them. Unfortunately, you can’t put a peach on a plate and send it out to a customer. So I chose ingredients—mellow cheeses, sweet and crunchy pistachios, and a mild balsamic vinegar glaze—that complemented the sweet raw peach.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4 to 6 on it¿s own or 8 to 9 as part of fourplay

Ingredients

For the Peaches

1/4 teaspoon citric acid
1 cup (280g) Simple Syrup (page 184)
4 super-ripe peaches

For the Balsamic Glaze

1/2 cup (110g) white balsamic vinegar

To Serve

4 ounces (113g) farmer’s cheese
4 ounces (113g) fresh ricotta cheese
Candied pistachios (see page 215)
Micro basil (or chopped fresh basil leaves)
Fleur de sel

Preparation

  1. For the Peaches

    Step 1

    Whisk the citric acid into the simple syrup.

    Step 2

    Cut the peaches into 8 wedges each (don’t peel them) and toss them in the syrup. Remove the peaches from the syrup and place on a tray or platter. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.

  2. For the Balsamic Glaze

    Step 3

    Put the vinegar in a small nonreactive saucepan and simmer gently until thick and syrupy, 10 minutes. Let cool before using

  3. To Serve

    Step 4

    Divide the peaches and cheese among dessert plates. Drizzle with a little of the balsamic glaze and garnish with the pistachios, some basil, and salt.

Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved. Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book. Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__
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