Two Easy Peach Recipes for Peak Peach Season
I don’t grow peaches at The Bloomstead—at least not yet—but I still look forward to the few weeks each summer when they’re at their best.
I’m not a particularly confident cook, and I don’t naturally enjoy spending hours in the kitchen. I do, however, want to become a better cook.
Growing flowers has made me pay more attention to what’s in season, and I’m finding that the same thing applies to food. When you start with something harvested at its peak, you don’t have to do nearly as much to make it taste good—which is exactly the kind of cooking I can get behind.
I tried these two peach recipes this week, my family loved them, and I thought they were worth sharing: a fresh peach and burrata salad and a brown butter peach crisp.
One is light and savory, and the other is best served warm with vanilla ice cream. Together, they could be the beginning and end of an easy summer dinner.
An Easy Summer Meal
To make it a full meal, serve the peach and burrata salad with something simple from the grill, such as chicken, pork tenderloin, salmon, or steak. Add a loaf of crusty bread and something cold to drink (white wine, anyone?).
It feels a little special without requiring an entire day in the kitchen, which is about all I can manage during the busiest part of the growing season.
Summer Peach and Burrata Salad
This is barely a recipe, which is part of what makes it so appealing to me. When peaches are perfectly ripe, they don’t need much help.
Creamy burrata, fresh basil, toasted pistachios, and a light honey and white balsamic dressing make the salad feel special without making it complicated. It works as a light lunch or as a side with grilled chicken, pork, steak, or salmon.
It also looks far more impressive than the amount of work involved, and I’m always in favor of that.
Makes: 4 side-dish servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the salad
4 packed cups baby arugula
3 ripe peaches, sliced into wedges
8 ounces burrata, usually 2 small balls
⅓ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
⅓ cup shelled pistachios, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
Flaky sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread, for serving
For the dressing
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Whisk together the olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.
Place the arugula on a large platter and toss it with just enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves. Save the remaining dressing for the top.
Arrange the peach slices over the arugula. Tear the burrata into large pieces and tuck them among the peaches.
Scatter the basil and toasted pistachios over the salad. Drizzle it with the remaining dressing, then finish with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve immediately with crusty bread for scooping up the burrata and peach juices left on the platter—which may be the best part.
Brown Butter Peach Crisp
This is what I made after we had already eaten plenty of peaches over the sink and there were still a few sitting on the counter.
It’s an easy, familiar peach crisp, but browning the butter gives the topping a richer, almost caramel-like flavor. It feels special enough to serve when friends come over but doesn’t require making pie crust.
Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. I would call the ice cream optional, but that wouldn’t be an honest recommendation.
Makes: 8 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 35–45 minutes
Ingredients
For the peaches
6 cups sliced fresh peaches, about 6–8 medium peaches
⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the brown butter topping
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup all-purpose flour
⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Flaky sea salt, optional
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine the peaches, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Stir gently until the peaches are evenly coated, then spread them in the prepared baking dish.
Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, as the butter foams and begins to turn golden. Once the bits at the bottom are deep golden brown and the butter smells toasted and nutty, remove it from the heat. This usually takes 4–7 minutes after the butter melts. Watch it closely near the end because it can burn quickly.
In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour in the brown butter, including all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir until the mixture is evenly moistened and begins to form small clumps.
Scatter the topping evenly over the peaches. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan to catch any juices that bubble over.
Bake for 35–45 minutes, until the peach filling is bubbling around the edges and the topping is golden brown. If the topping browns before the peaches are bubbling, cover it loosely with foil for the remaining baking time.
Let the crisp rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Add a small pinch of flaky sea salt to the top, if desired, and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
A Little Help From ChatGPT
Because I’m still learning, I asked ChatGPT a couple of questions that came up while I was making this:
You don’t have to peel the peaches. The skins soften while they bake, and skipping that step saves time.
If your peaches are especially ripe and juicy, use the full 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. If they’re firmer or less juicy, 1½ tablespoons should be enough.
See? I told you I’m not pretending to be a food expert.
Cooking With the Season
I’m not planning to turn The Bloomstead into a food blog, but I do want to get better at using ingredients while they’re at their best.
That might mean peaches in July, tomatoes and basil in August, apples in the fall, or rhubarb and strawberries next spring. I’ll share the recipes my family and I genuinely enjoy along the way. If you try either of these, I’d love to hear what you think.
