Chefs love peaches. They represent peak summer season (at their ripest from around June to the end of August), and they’re also incredibly versatile – ideal in savoury and sweet dishes.
At Café Cecilia, the Hackney restaurant run by chef Max Rocha that turns five this August, peaches have been on the menu from the start, featuring frequently at this time of year. Begin with a peach bellini (a purée mixed with champagne), follow with a panzanella made with Vesuvio tomatoes, bread and peaches, and then try a main of grilled pork, peaches and borlotti beans. For dessert, he serves a roasted peach and basil ice cream sundae layered with meringue and toasted cubes of brown butter cake.
“I don’t normally use fruit in savoury dishes,” says Rocha, “but peaches complement grilled meats so well. We pair them with pork coppa steak (from the shoulder), which is really fatty. You want fattiness with peaches. Use yellow or flat peaches, so long as they’re not too hard.” (See full recipe below.)
Roasted white and yellow peaches with dried chilli, fennel seed and white wine, served with prosciutto at Burro © Gemma Bell and Company
The classic Italian pairing is with soft cheese – ricotta, mozzarella or burrata – often with other salty or herby additions. In her new book La Trattoria (Ebury Press, £30), Dara Klein of Tiella in east London shares a recipe for mozzarella, peaches and anchovies dressed with red wine vinegar, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, dried oregano and finely sliced shallots. Serve with fresh ciabatta “to mop up the juices”.
