Peach and Pumpkin recipes from the 1980s onwards, and earlier
| Sweet peach soufflé | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 4 egg whites, beaten to hold the peak 1 cup dried peaches, soaked and mashed 1 drop (no more) of almond flavouring (optional) Tip: This is a simple, low-calorie pudding. The scent of peach will pervade the kitchen. | Blend the peaches and egg whites gently. Place in a straight-sided baking dish in a hot oven (250°C) and bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot. |
| Peach Jam | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| White sugar and the same weight of peaches, then a little more water Juice of 1 lemon for every 3 cups of peach Jars, with lids Turn Peach Jam into Peach Sauce The easiest way is just to mix a very little balsamic vinegar into it, just before serving…a slightly more complicated way is to sauté an onion till soft, then add jam and vinegar; heat till thick again – and there you have it…. Tip: Yellow or white peaches give different results, both good. | Pick the peaches while they are still just green – a few days after the birds have started to be interested in them. (Birds like their fruit sourer than we do.) Slightly green fruit have more pectin, so you get a better set but also their slight tartness offsets the sugar.) Bung peaches in a pan – not aluminum, as the acid will leach away some of the metal oxide, and you’ll eat that with your jam. Simmer till soft and puréed – the water should be a thick soup. Lower the heat. Pour in the sugar. Stir very well till sugar is dissolved; simmer for… well, somewhere between half an hour and five hours, depending on the size of the pan and the wateriness of the fruit. Stir often so it doesn’t catch on the bottom and beware of splatters burning your bare arm. You’ll know the jam is ready when it starts to glug like magma, a lovely volcanic sound – and when you stir it, it spits great fireballs up at you. (Don’t worry – it’s worth it.) When you drip a little in a bowl it will set to jam in about a minute. Turn off the heat. Ladle HOT into heated jars, and place the lids on when still hot. Wipe off excess jam with a clean Wettex – the jars will gently steam as the Wettex passes over them and the lids will turn concave as the jars cool down, with a good airproof seal. (And hopefully the heat of the jam will kill bacteria, moulds et al – but do attempt the most rigorous cleanliness you can.) Eat within three months, as peach jam doesn’t keep well. |
| Peach Pie | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| Peach filling 8 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced ½ cup raw sugar ¼ cup whiskey or rum (if you don’t want to use alcohol, you can substitute 2 Tbsp lemon juice) 4-5 Tbsp cornflour Sugar for sprinkling | Peach filling Put the peaches, sugar, whiskey, and salt in a big bowl and let them sit overnight to releases the juice from the peaches. Strain the peaches and mix the juices with the cornflour. Put flour and juice in a pot, stir well then cook, stirring, till thickened. Mix in the peaches. |
| Pastry dough 3 cups flour ¼ cup castor sugar 200 gm very cold butter, cut into tiny sized pieces 1 egg About ½ cup ice water – have more on the ready just in case | Pastry dough Mix all ingredients. Roll out the dough and put it in a dish. Fill with peach mix. Use strips of pastry to make a lattice on top. Brush top of pie with egg beaten and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 200°C till the top begins to brown. Cool before eating – the pastry will be firmer but can also be eaten hot even though it won’t slice well. |
| Chilled Peaches and Mascarpone | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 4 large yellow peaches 250g mascarpone 1 Tbsp castor sugar 1 Tbsp Cointreau 1 Tbsp grated orange zest- very fine, no white or 12 glazed half macadamias or 4 Tbsp chopped macadamias | Mix all but the peaches. Skin the peaches, slice them; place at the base of a glass and top with the Mascarpone mix. |
| Peach Chicken with tomatoes, almonds, orange and basil | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 8 chicken pieces or 1 whole chicken 6 peeled chopped red tomatoes – or a can of pieces if the only tomatoes around are pink and globulous finely grated zest of 1 orange 1 cup fresh orange juice, not navel as it turns bitter soon after its squeezed ½ cup ground almonds 3 cups chicken stock 4 cloves garlic 6 dessertspoons olive oil 10 peaches, peeled and sliced 1 tsp chopped basil Tip: The almonds thicken the sauce. | Bake the chicken in the oil till brown and almost cooked. This should take about an hour at 350°C. Add the garlic after about half an hour. Take the pan out of the oven. Pour off excess fat. Add other ingredients except for the peaches. Bubble for twenty minutes or till it begins to thicken. Add the peaches near the end of cooking, so they stay intact. Garnish with basil and serve hot, with couscous, or on fresh, soft white home-made bread; or a rich potato dish. (Not rice as the textures aren’t compatible.) |
| Peach rice | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 2 cups basmati rice 6 cups boiling water 60g ghee 6 cardamom pods 1 tsp cumin 1 cinnamon stick 1 red onion, peeled and chopped I tsp grated fresh ginger 1 cup chopped yellow peaches 1 large pinch saffron, soaked in the hot water overnight ¼ cup shelled pistachios or toasted pine nuts 1 large handful finely chopped flat-leaf parsley | Heat the ghee in a wide pan over a medium heat with onions till soft. Add spices and the sliced onions and sauté until soft. Add the ginger, then the rice, stir for a minute. Add the saffron water. Cook without stirring. Take off the heat and set aside, still covered, to steam for till nearly evaporated then add peaches, reheat, stirring gently. Turn off the heat. Add nuts and parsley, and serve hot, warm or cold. |
| Oatie Peach Slice | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 250g unsalted butter, very soft 2 cups firm peaches, chopped small ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup caster sugar 2 eggs, room temp 2 tsp vanilla 1½ cups SR flour, sifted 1 cup rolled oats | Mix gently. Spread in a tray and bake at 200°C till brown on top and firm. Cut into slices when cold. Keep in the fridge and eat within 24 hours. Excellent served warm with cream or icecream. |
| Mulled Wine Peach Jam | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 12 peaches, peeled and seeds removed 300g sugar Juice of 4 lemons Juice and zest of 4 oranges 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 3 star anise 1 cinnamon stick 3 cloves 250ml red wine | Marinate everything overnight. Simmer 40 minutes till thick and a little sets on a cold saucer. Remove the hard spices. Bottle while hot. Tip: This doesn’t keep well but makes a magnificent Christmas gift. Keep in the fridge after opening. |
| Winter Fruit Salad | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| ½ cup dried peaches 6 prunes, stones removed unless you want to choke your guests half a stick cinnamon 2 cups water ½ cup sugar 4 Tbsp rum or 1 tb Cointreau (optional) peeled segments of 2 grapefruit or four oranges or four tangelos, no white or membrane. | Cover peaches and prunes with water. Leave 24 hours. Strain off the water, add sugar and cinnamon and boil till reduced by half. Remove cinnamon. Add rum and fruit. Serve either hot or cold. Tip: Good with ice-cream after dinner or thick cream; also good with pancakes for breakfast. |
| Peach and Caramel Baked Custard | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 2 cups cream 4 eggs 8 Tbsp brown sugar 2 cups yellow peaches, chopped 1 cup orange juice ground nutmeg or powdered ginger | Simmer peaches in orange juice and 4 tbs sugar till thick. Add water only if sticking. Place in an oven-proof dish. Beat the cream, eggs and remaining sugar with a fork or eggbeater for three minutes. Pour over the peach mix. Dust on a little ground nutmeg or powdered ginger. Bake at 200°C for half an hour or till firm. Serve hot or eat the cold leftovers for a sinful breakfast. |
| Peach Scones | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 1 cup stewed peaches, mashed 2 cups self raising flour 2 dessertspoons butter or margarine ½ cup peach juice ½ cup cream | Turn the oven onto hot (275° C) Now, rub the butter into the flour, add other ingredients and roll the dough out on a board sprinkled with flour till it’s smooth. Cut into rounds with an upturned glass or cookie cutter if you have one (a heart shaped one if you want to go all romantic). Place scones in a greased pan, just touching. Brush them with a little milk – if you don’t have a pastry brush the tips of your fingers will do. Now place the pan on a baking tray, so the bottoms don’t get too hard before the tops are brown; bake 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven and cover at one with a clean tea towel. Leave for ten minutes. This will give them that lovely soft scone-like texture. Eat hot with butter or jam and cream, or toast them for breakfast or reheat in the microwave (though they won’t be as good reheated). |
| Peach Champagne Granita | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 1½ cups champagne – not too dry, as a lot of sweetness is lost when food is frozen ½ cup very ripe peaches 1 Tbsp castor sugar, or to taste – depends on sweetness of berries 2 splashes of bitters Tip: This should be grainy and slushy; not smooth like a sorbet. | Mash peaches with sugar till sugar melts. Add champagne and bitters. Freeze in a shallow tray – this should take about an hour at most in a good fridge, so if you bung it in when you put dinner on it’ll be ready for a lazy dessert. Chill two wine glasses, so the granita doesn’t melt too fast. Now take a solid spoon and scrape the granita till it’s grainy and slushy; spoon it into the glasses and eat at once. |
| Peach Salad | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 2 shallots, finely sliced 1 bunch coriander leaves chopped ½ bunch mint, leaves picked and torn 2 lettuce or more, depending on variety 1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely diced juice of 1 lemon 50ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 2 Tbsp sumac 250g haloumi, sliced, or cold chicken breast, sliced ¼ watermelon, flesh cut into bite-sized triangles 50g pine nuts, toasted 6 white or yellow peaches, sliced | Mix all ingredients together. Serve at once. Tip: This is a simple, low-calorie pudding. The scent of peach will pervade the kitchen. |
| Peach Leather | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| Yellow or white fleshed peaches Tip: Other fruits like apples, apricots, pears etc. all make good fruit leathers. | Skin and stone peaches either yellow or white fleshed ones. Sieve, spread over a greased tray, leave in a cool oven or in the sun (take in at night) till it is hard and dry. Peel away from the pan, wrap in greaseproof paper, store in airtight jars till needed. This can be eaten as it is – an excellent sweet for children – or reconstituted by soaking in boiling water till soft again. |
| Honey Peach Sauce | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 1 cup water ½ cup honey 2 Tbsp butter 1 tsp orange, lime, mandarin or lemon zest 3 cups mashed peaches 1 Tbsp corn flour Tip: for ice cream or cakes. | Mix cornflour with water. Add other ingredients. Simmer till it’s smooth and thick, stirring all the time. Serve hot or cold. |
| Peach Sauce | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 6 white or yellow peaches (very ripe) Same weight in sugar (or honey) ½ cup of water 1 cup rum Tip: Keeps indefinitely. This is wonderful with cold whipped cream or served in a blob on small fresh cakes. | Take the flesh of six very ripe peaches – white or yellow, though of course both give different results. Add the same weight in sugar or honey. Boil till soft in half a cup of water. By now the water should have mostly evaporated. Add a cup of rum, boil again, bottle and seal. |
| Peach Sauce – a spicy version | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 3 kilos peaches, white or yellow 2 kilos raw sugar 1 tsp of whole black peppers 4 cups vinegar 10 cloves of garlic 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground ginger 1 onion chopped | Boil all the ingredients till it goes glug. Bottle and seal. Keep in a cool place and use after two weeks maturing. Keep in the fridge after opening. |
| Grandma’s Peach Chutney | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 1 onion chopped 3 cloves of garlic chopped 1 cup vinegar 5 cups peeled peaches – either white or yellow, though either of course give different results 700g sugar – brown gives a rich chutney but you lose a lot of the peach flavour. Honey can be substituted but use a mild flavoured one 1 dessertspoon chopped fresh or crystalised ginger 1 cup currants | Simmer gently for about 4 hours till thick. Fish out the ginger, bottle and seal. Tip: This should be kept for at least 6 months to let the flavours mellow. If you eat it too young you taste sugar and vinegar, not peach. |
And now for a few pumpkin options:
| Bloody Good Pumpkin Scones | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 1 Tbsp honey 1 tsp grated orange zest 2 Tbsp butter 1 cup mashed pumpkin- as orange and sweet as you can get it 1 egg well beaten ½ cup of milk juice of a lemon 2 cup self raising flour Tip: These scones should be eaten fresh. If there are any leftover toast them for breakfast or cut them into slices and bake in the oven till crisp and crush for very superior ‘breadcrumbs’. | Mix the orange zest with the flour; work the butter and honey in with your fingers. Add the milk, juice and egg and pumpkin- work as little as you can at this stage. Now cut into thin rounds – about as thick as the width of your thumb. Brush with milk or beaten egg; bake in a hot even for 10-15 minutes. * toasted breakfast scones were a feature when Jackie French stayed with her Grandmother |
| Pumpkin Chutney | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 1 kilo pumpkin 500g tomatoes 500g chopped onions 700g brown sugar 2 tsp each of black pepper corns, whole allspice and ground ginger 6 cloves of chopped garlic 1 litre of red wine vinegar | Slice the pumpkin in thin, neat pieces. Skin the tomatoes by throwing them in boiling water. Add all the ingredients together, simmer- don’t boil- till thick. Stir often as this chutney sticks easily. Bottle while hot. Tip: This is very good. Don’t let the blandness of mashed pumpkin put you off. |
| Pumpkin Fruit Cake | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 1 cup (210g) mashed pumpkin 125 g butter 1 cup (200g) brown sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla essence 500g sultanas, or mixed fruit (I prefer just sultanas) 2 cups (240g) self-raising flour Tip: This cake is rich, moist, a wonderful deep golden colour and very, very good. | Line a large tin with two layers of baking paper. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs one by one; then pumpkin, vanilla and fruit, then the flour. The mixture should be quite moist, but if it seems too dry (which it may be if the pumpkin is dryish) then add a little milk or water or orange juice. Pour the mix into the tin; bake at 200°C for one hour or till it’s brown on top and a skewer comes out clean. To make Pumpkin rock cakes Place spoonfuls of the mix on a greased baking tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Half a cup of mixed peel or 2 Tbsps grated lemon or orange zest are good additions. To make Pumpkin Muffins Bake in patty cases or a muffin tray. Again, a little orange or lemon zest are good additions. |
| Pumpkin … not really Risotto | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| 6 Tbsp ghee 3 cups good firm orange pumpkin cubes 3 onions chopped 2 cups brown rice Water | Melt ghee in a wide pan – ghee keeps better than butter and the back to the landers rarely had fridges for the first decade or so. Brown pumpkin cubes and remove. Add chopped onions, stir till transparent Add brown rice, stir for 2 minutes, then gradually add boiling water till the rice is softened – it should be kept quite dry, so just add enough water so it doesn’t stick each time. Stir in the pumpkin near the end. |
| Mock Ginger | |
| Ingredients | Method |
| Pumpkin 2 cups of sugar 1 cup water 1 dessert spoon grated ginger (or powdered ginger) Lemon zest Clean jars Tip: This is an old Colonial standby. This keeps for years and was used in place of glacé ginger. | Chop your pumpkin into neat slices; sprinkle with salt and leave overnight. Pour off the juice. Add a syrup of two cups sugar to one cup of water and a dessert-spoon of grated ginger, or powdered ginger. Boil for an hour, pour over the pumpkin, leave till cold. Pour off the syrup and repeat at least six times. The pumpkin should look as though it is starting to candy and change colour with the repeated applications of boiling syrup. Put the lot in the oven till the pumpkin is cooked. The outside will still be crunchy due to its crystalising but the inside will be soft. Place in clean jars while hot with a shaving of lemon zest. Seal. Don’t use for at least three months. |