Chinese orchard farmers treated peaches with such reverence that they could be planted only within the royal precincts of the emperor. Their peaches were classified in one of two ways: golden with yellow flesh and silver with white flesh.These beautiful silver, intensely flavored and odd-shaped peach we now know in the United States as the ‘Saturn’ peach were called the pan tao in China. They are lower in acidity, sweeter than yellow peaches and with a slight almond undertone in the taste.
The Saturn peach simply taste better than other varieties and they are easier to eat on the run. The fruit’s thin red skin has little or no fuzz so it doesn’t have to be peeled and the small pit can be popped out quite easily. In season, they are my favorite on the go lunch as I drive from errand to errand.They have also just found their way into my humble cooking repertoire as a compnent in a sweet-spicy sauce for okra that I served last night with lean grilled chicken breasts.
It seemed like an unlikely paring, indeed, but the combination of the nutty sweetness, spice and Farmers Market fresh okra made for a wonderful taste, quite different from the ordinary.
I promise to post the recipe as soon as I determine the quantities, as made this sauce by taste.
I was thrilled to see this peach for sale in abundance at my local Farmer’s Market from a grower that was less than 2 hours away from the market. They offered an abundant crop, lovely and fresh with that beautiful peach-almond aroma that is so treasured and at a price that did not break my bank account.
2 comments:
Oooh, Therese-Marie, I love your experiments here on your banner and these photos are popping today! The peaches sound exquisite--they're a big favorite of mine. Those donut peaches are a new one for me! Wonder if they taste as good. And your meal sounds delicious, too. How do you prepare the okra? Just steamed? or do you sautee it? Yum...
Once again, I've never seen this beautiful fruit. I prefer nectarines because of their lack of fuzz but if I had access to these I'd love to try them. Someone in America must have named them after the planet for the remarkable resemblance. Aren't shapes so fascinating? When my son Matt lived in Andersonville, one of the few things he disliked was the grocery store--Jewel. That is not what you are referring to when you say mega-mart I presume.
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