Just peachy

Nicola Galloway shares a sorbet and a pastry to make the most of fresh summer stonefruit.

Making the most of stonefruit

Weekend kitchen

Peaches are a real summer treat. They aren’t around for long and are best purchased direct from the grower at produce markets, or even better picked from a backyard tree. As with most stonefruit, peaches can be categorised into super juicy ‘‘eat over the kitchen sink’’ varieties, and firmer-fleshed fruit that is great for preserving and cooking with.

In these recipes, I share a morning pastry using firmerfleshed peaches. And a simple icy treat that I like to make with the super juicy peaches we are fortunate to have in the backyard – inherited from a thoughtful previous owner who had an appreciation for heritage fruit trees.

Simple peach and mint sorbet

This is the perfect antidote to a hot afternoon. I have been making some version of this cooling treat since my children were little. Depending on the fruit used I might add cream for a soft serve-like ice cream. Here I have used our juicy homegrown wiggins (whitefleshed) peaches that are best in a sorbet to make the most of all the juice. The hardest part is remembering to freeze the fruit, which I find is best to do in bulk so there is always frozen fruit at hand.

Preparation time: 10 minutes plus 4 hours minimum freezing time

Serves 2

■ 2-3 juicy peaches, about 300g (or other summer fruit)

■ 3 tbsp elderflower or lemon cordial

■ Squeeze of lemon juice, about 1 tbsp

■ Small handful mint

Ahead of time, prepare the peaches. Cut into thin wedges, no more than 1cm thick. Arrange in a single layer on a

tray lined with baking paper and freeze until solid. This will take about 4 hours but overnight is best.

To make the sorbet, transfer the frozen peach wedges to a food processor. Add the cordial, lemon juice and mint. Put a timer on for 5 minutes for the peach to slightly thaw, then blend for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the processor as needed until combined.

Spoon the sorbet into small bowls or cups and serve immediately.

The sorbet can also be made in a larger batch, transferred to a sealed container and frozen. Remove from the freezer 15-20 minutes before serving to soften for scooping.

Peach and custard breakfast pastries

The fruit for this pastry can really be any summer fruit – blueberries, slices of apricot or black doris plum – anything that will hold its shape once cooked. Even canned peaches (look for the Hawke’s Bay ones) work well if you can’t get your hands on fresh.

These pastries are best prepared in the morning before the heat of the day arrives so the pastry is easier to cut and shape as described in the method. If it does get fiddly to handle, place the pastry on the baking paper into the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up before proceeding.

Preparation time: 25 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Makes 8 pastries

Custard

■ 1 egg yolk

■ 1 tbsp custard powder or cornflour

■ 1 tbsp sugar or honey

■ 3⁄ cup (180ml) milk (can use dairy4 free)

Pastries

■ 2-3 firm-fleshed peaches, cut into thin wedges

■ 2 sheets butter-puff pastry, about 300g (25cm x 25cm)

■ 1 tbsp apricot jam

■ 1 tbsp boiling water

Preheat the oven to 220C (fan 200C). If you have the option go for fan bake here. Place a heavy-based oven tray on the middle shelf to heat up (this will deliver heat to the base of the pastry for even cooking).

If your pastry is frozen, place on the bench to thaw while making the custard. It will soften quite fast so don’t get it out too early. Alternatively, transfer the frozen sheets to the fridge the evening prior to thaw overnight.

In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolk, custard powder or cornflour, sweetener and 1⁄ cup milk until

4 smooth. Whisk in the remaining milk.

Heat gently, stirring constantly for about 6-8 minutes until the custard is thick. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Place one of the pastry sheets into the fridge to keep it cool. Lay the other pastry sheet onto a strip of baking paper. Using the sharp tip of a small knife cut the sheet evenly into four smaller squares. If you want to be exact here you can use a ruler (as they do in bakeries).

Working with one pastry square at a time, cut a border about 1cm in from the edge. Cut the corners on the bottom left and top right, but don’t quite cut all the way on the top left and bottom right.

Carefully lift the pastry border from the bottom left over to meet the inside edge of the border on the top right. Repeat from top right to bottom left. You will now have a Danish-style pastry with raised borders and a twist of pastry at the top left and bottom right corners. Repeat with the remaining pastry squares, removing the extra pastry sheet from the fridge as needed.

Spoon a tablespoon of custard onto each pastry spreading to fill the inside of the pastry border. Arrange 3-4 wedges of peach over the custard.

Transfer the pastries to the oven by sliding the baking paper they are on directly onto the pre-heated oven tray. Bake for 15 minutes until the pastry is golden. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Combine the apricot jam and boiling water in a small bowl and immediately brush it over the hot pastry and fruit. Serve while warm – these are best eaten on the day they are prepared.

Tip: Store the lone egg white in a container in the fridge to add to your next scramble or omelette.