Peaches and especially nectarines, are by far my favorite summer fruit and I have vivid childhood memories  of eating peaches from our backyard tree until the sugar sweet syrup runs down my cheeks and my tummy is round with satisfaction!

Peaches, when in season do not need mush fiddling with and  if you are lucky enough to eat them ripe from the tree, they have enough sweetness to satisfy any sweet tooth. These days, we are not so lucky to each have a peach tree in our back yards, so we have to buy from our local markets or supermarket. Sadly these peaches were often picked when not quite ready and we have to help them along with a little added sweetness. The trick is to never overpower the delicious fragrance of the peaches. In these little peach tarte tatins the peaches remain the stars of the show and who says you cannot enjoy a delicious peach crumble in the middle of summer? Add thinly sliced peaches to your next salad and you will not believe how delicious the peach and  goats cheese combination can be?

This recipe works as a dessert, but serve it with crunchy granola and it can be a wholesome breakfast too.  You can use any of the summer stone fruits, apricots, plums or soft peaches. When you use peaches with hairy skin, pull the skin of before cooking. In the recipe below, I give basic quantities, but  it really depends on how big a pan you have got and how many people you are serving.

Peaches with buttery honey and Crème fraîche

serves 2

Ingredients

2 peaches or nectarines

30 ml butter

30 ml honey

1 vanilla pod

1 lemon

Crème fraîche for serving

Method

Heat a pan or skillet on the stove and add the butter and sugar to it. Cut the vanilla pod open and scrape the seeds out. Add the seeds as well as the empty pod to the pan and allow the honey/butter mixture to melt.  Add a little lemon juice to the pan. Wash and dry the peaches, slice in half and remove the stones. Place the peaches cut-side down into the butter and honey and let the peaches caramelize until golden brown and sticky. When the peaches are done ( not mushy), serve with Crème fraîche.

Tomorrow morning  just after the 9 o’clock news, I will be  sharing this easy recipe with you!  Get ready to be amazed! I will also in weeks to come take you into the kitchens of other bloggers, chefs and interesting South Africans this year. So buckle up, it is going to be an awesome ride. Tune in 100-104FM or listen online here!