Plenty of Peaches? Pickle Them

Bring a touch of southern charm to your kitchen with pickled peaches.

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It’s hard not to smile when you bite into a great peach. That’s why this month on Live.Love.Lux we have articles starring peaches, and have partnered with Sara Forte of Sprouted Kitchen to share tips, insights and recipes featuring one of our favorite summer fruits.

Pickling fruit may seem jarring at first (pun intended), but the technique takes the raw edge off of fresh produce and can add a unique flavor and depth to both sweet and savory dishes.  And summertime is the best time to experiment with a favorite southern tradition: pickled peaches.

What, you might ask, are ways to use a pickled peach? Try straining them of their liquid and putting them on top of cornmeal and cheddar waffles for a perfectly acidic, sweet breakfast topping. Or, chop them up with some cilantro and a little jalapeno to garnish a fish taco.

This recipe has a vinegar-forward pickled flavor that is tangy without being nearly as assertive as something like a pickled relish. We don’t recommend using this brine for something like pickled cucumbers, but the spice combination below works quite well with the sweet peaches.

Live.Love.Lux Tip: When simmering, enjoy precise heat control with the Min-2-Max® Burner on your Electrolux Gas Range.

Honey Pickled Peaches with Apple Cider Vinegar and Peppercorns

"They are classically made a lot sweeter, sitting in almost a syrup, but I dialed back the sugar and replaced it with some honey for a more mellow sweetness that can pair just as well with savory as sweet dishes. This jar full will last for a month in the fridge just fine." - Sara

Servings: 24 - 32 oUNCE jar

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Ingredients

3 medium-sized ripe but firm peaches

1 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon natural cane sugar

Juice of one lemon

Pinch of sea salt

1 teaspoon peppercorns

2 star anise pods

1 cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

Instructions

Prepare a bath of ice water and a pot of boiling water. Score an “X” into the bottom of each peach. Blanch the peaches for 15 seconds and transfer them to the ice bath with a slotted spoon. Once cooled, peel away the skin and cut the peaches into 6 to 8 wedges each. Discard the pits.

Into the saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, honey, sugar, lemon juice, salt, peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon and bay leaves. Bring it to a gentle boil until the honey and sugar have dissolved.

Put the peaches in a large canning jar and cover them with the liquid. Cool, uncovered, at room temperature before covering and transferring them to the fridge. Let them sit for 24 hours before using.

The peaches can be kept covered in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

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