Few things are as frustrating as unripe peaches when you have people coming for dinner.

Well, there are other things as frustrating maybe, like when you have ripe peaches and no one coming for dinner.
Or, if you have no peaches and people coming for dinner.
Or, if you have people to dinner and they dislike peaches, which you have.

I could go on. Would you like me to?

Back to the problem: People coming to dinner, unripe peaches.

Here’s what to do: Poach the peaches in white wine for thirty minutes. Problem solved!

 

 

Not only is the method effective for softening the fruit, but it infuses a flavor that blends unexpectedly wonderfully in a sweet cobbler or crumble.

Wine-Poached Peach and Blackberry Crumble:

(Serves 4)

(Adapted from It’s All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow)

Ingredients:

Three or four unripe peaches (or ripe peaches and you can omit the poaching)
One bottle white wine, any variety (I used Chardonnay)
One pint blackberries
Four tablespoons maple syrup
One tablespoon fresh lemon juice
One-half cup almond meal
One-half cup old-fashioned oats
A pinch of salt
One-half teaspoon cinnamon
One tablespoon olive oil

Instructions:

1. Halve the peaches as best you can, removing the pit. Have patience. (I know, sweetheart, it isn’t easy to cut unripe peaches.) Place the peach halves into a large saucepan and pour the wine over top until the fruit is covered. Bring the pot to a simmer over medium-high heat. When little bubbles appear on the liquid surface and things get steamy, turn the heat to low. Allow the peaches to poach for 30 minutes. You may cook less or longer, depending on the level of ripeness/unripeness of the fruit. Pierce the peaches with a fork to test for desired softness. The kitchen will smell SO GOOD.

2. Set the pot aside, peaches in wine, and allow everything to cool. When you can handle the peaches, see if the peels will slip easily off. Some pieces will peel, some won’t. Don’t worry about it. Leave the peel on the stubborn ones and cut all the peaches into pieces or slices (however you like) for cobbler.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. Toss the fruit in a shallow baking dish with two tablespoons of the maple syrup and the lemon juice. Mix the almond meal and oats, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the remaining two tablespoons of maple syrup and the live oil and mix until just combined. Crumble the mixture over the fruit and bake util the topping is browned and the fruit is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

Look at that! No butter! A little olive oil? Yes! It’s great! Funny what things taste yummy together, isn’t it?

Serve with a little vanilla-flavored Rice Dream or other plant-based ice cream.