If you’ve driven Highway 287 on your way to and from Colorado, then you’re probably familiar with Monroe’s Peach Ranch near Hedley, Texas. Its family-owned fruit stands have bordered the highway for generations. Each June, when my husband and I make our annual drive to Colorado for the summer, the colorful stands overflow with baskets of ripe, juicy, fragrant, Texas peaches — a tasty travelers’ snack and inspiration for countless summer recipes.
Once we’re in the mountains for the summer, I purchase Palisade peaches from Forte Farms when strolling through the Dillon Farmers Market. The peaches, grown on Colorado’s Western Slope where the days are hot and the nights are cool, are generally large with a thin, delicate, yellow skin blushed with pink. Super juicy and ultra-sweet, I can feel my mouth watering even as I write about them.
Peach season is relatively short, so moving beyond peach pie and adding this sweet, versatile stone fruit to summer menus can be deliciously rewarding. Perk up green salads with peach slices drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette, brighten the flavor of grilled fish with a fruit salsa made from cubes of mango, pineapple, and peach seasoned with red pepper flakes, fresh mint, and a squeeze of lime juice, or welcome summer guests with bruschetta topped with goat cheese and juicy slices of fresh peach.
On the other hand, there’s nothing quite like peach cobbler or a slice of summertime peach pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. These traditional summer fruit desserts are often connected with memorable gatherings of family and friends. My easy recipe for Rustic Peach Tart features sliced peaches encased in a buttery, flaky pastry. I leave the skin on the peaches and bake the tart on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, so preparation and cleanup are almost effortless. Happy Summer!
Christy Rost is a cookbook author, host of Celebrating Home cooking videos, and longtime resident of the Park Cities and Preston Hollow. Her ‘At Home with Christy Rost’ cooking series for Eat This TV Network airs on AmazonFire, AppleTV+, Roku, Samsung TV, and YouTube. Please visit christyrost.com for details and recipes.
Author
