Side Orders: Get ready to indulge in peaches

Delicious, farm fresh peaches are displayed in a crate at a farmers' market.
Delicious, farm fresh peaches are displayed in a crate at a farmers' market.
photo Anne Braly

Peach season is upon us. Walk past any stand, whether in the grocery store or your favorite farmer's market, and you can smell the peaches. Their sweet scent draws you in and, before you know it, you have a bagful. Nothing says summer better than biting into the incredible flesh of a ripe peach and relishing its taste as a drop of juice drizzles down your chin.

Cooks, too, look forward to adding a burst of flavor to both sweet and savory dishes.

Clearly, our palates yearn for peach season, though the summer's drought has taken a toll on this year's harvest, says local peach grower Tom Crawley.

"They'll be a little smaller than normal," he says, "but the flavor will still be good."

Crawley, who took over the peach business from his dad in the mid-1990s after 35 years as a wildlife officer for Tennessee Valley Resources Agency, has eight acres of peach trees on his Sale Creek orchard. Peaches are coming in now, and you can find his on Saturdays this summer at St. Albans Farmers Market (7514 Hixson Pike). Red Haven, the earliest of his peaches to come in, are his favorite variety, he says.

"Maybe that's because I'm peach hungry by the middle of the summer," he explains.

But then he also loves Contenders, in season now, and Albertas, an old-fashioned variety that will ripen by the first part of August.

So what's the difference between varieties? Primarily it's a matter of personal preference. Some like the bold, classic peach flavor of yellow peaches, while others prefer the slightly sweeter, less-acidic taste of white-fleshed peaches. You can look at the skin of a peach and tell the color inside. White peaches have light-pinkish skin; the skin of yellow peaches has a more reddish blush.

For baking, there is a slight difference, though both are pretty much interchangeable. However, the delicate sweetness of white peaches makes them wonderful for grilling, while yellow peaches are slightly better for baking.

Food Network star Ina Garten's Fresh Peach Cake is a delicious example of how peaches can lift a coffee cake to new heights. The beauty of this cake is in its simplicity. And with the addition of sour cream, you'll realize the moist texture and rich flavors with every bite. Enjoy it with coffee in the morning or with a glass of milk for a midnight snack.

Fresh Peach Coffee Cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 large, ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch, square baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric beater, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla, and mix until the batter is smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon.

Spread half of the batter evenly in the pan. Top with half of the peaches, then sprinkle with two-thirds of the sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange the remaining peaches on top, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and the pecans.

Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NEW PUBLIC KITCHEN

Have you ever thought about starting your own food business but didn't know where to start? The Chattanooga Kitchen is now open and ready for you to get your toes wet, so to speak. The kitchen, located in the First Tennessee Pavilion (where Chattanooga Market is held), is well-equipped, licensed and has been inspected and approved for shared use, making it the ideal beginning for local food entrepreneurs and caterers. It can also be used as a commissary for the growing number of food trucks in the Chattanooga area.

The kitchen is the brainchild of Chris Thomas, executive director of Public Markets, Inc., and was funded by the Benwood Foundation. Chattanooga Kitchen members have access to hourly rental of the kitchen and its equipment 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Also, organizations wanting to host workshops and cooking classes may make use of the facility. There are never too many cooks in the kitchen here. For more information about memberships, call 423-648-2496 or log onto http://chattanooga.kitchen.

Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.

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