URBAN FORAGER: Peach power

Local peaches power up a summer guacamole.

Consider the peach. That fuzzy rotund and juicy fruit in season right now is a reason to celebrate. One of the most ancient domesticated fruits — with 4000 years of cultivation — its origins hail back to Eastern China. Through time, travel and trade, the ‘prunus persica’ took root through Asia, the Mediterranean and the Americas, where, in the Okanagan, the first fruit trees were planted in 1857.

The succulent peach comes in many different varieties – from freestone, donut and Redhaven to Cresthaven and white — and eaten ripe right off the tree is a sensational taste treat that you should seek out.

Pies and cobblers, preserves, ice creams and sorbets, peach juice, nectar and cider — its uses to satisfy our palates are only limited by our imagination and curiosity. I love them halved and grilled, served with local blue cheese – it makes a wonderful first course.

Real Things Pizza in Naramata have rolled out seasonal peach and prosciutto pies, and a peach bbq sauce currently features prominent on the shelves of T-Bones. For a simple summer dessert, freshly sliced peaches are exquisite served soused in bubbly. I’ve been looking locally for my bubbles, and in this case two standouts I’ve come across lately are L-ST Projects’ small batch and natural fermented Pinot Blanc, made by up-and-coming winemaker Alyssa Hubert – who is also the cidermaker at Creek & Gully. The second pinot blanc bubbly is from Bella Wines with their drinkable traditional method sourced from nearby Zeller & Sons Martha’s Vineyard.

Slice peaches in individual glasses, toss with a bit of citrus juice, add bubbly to lightly cover the fruit and let marinate in the fridge for about an hour. Serve with light cream or even ice cream, and you can amp up the peachiness with a shot of peach schnapps (if you have a bottle collecting dust on your bar shelf).

Delicious and refreshing, accompanied by coupes of the bubbly.

The peach also set down roots in Mexico, where the fruit is grown in 26 states of the country, with Michoacan, Mexico and Chihuahua being the top producers.

Mexican cuisine is complex. Each of Mexico’s 32 states has distinct dishes and specialties, many showcasing indigenous ingredients – some moles for example – and others clearly evident of immigration. An amazing example is tacos al pastor, a now quintessential Mexican dish that was introduced by Lebanese immigrants as shawarma. But whatever reason, what we eat as Mexican food here is a tiny sampling of what is on offer in Mexico. Salsas go way beyond the freshly chopped pico de gallo, to salsas with roasted, cooked and smoked ingredients. And guacamole gets new life with seasonal peaches.

I first came across this dish in the late Diana Kennedy’s book, My Mexico, a Culinary Odyssey. A curious culinary adventurer and anthropologist, cook and writer Kennedy devoted the last 50 years of her life living, traveling and interviewing cooks from virtually every region of the country, and documenting native edible plants. She self-identified as an “ethno-gastronomer” and ignited a passion for Mexican cuisine for many, myself included.

The dish, documented in the cookbook as guacamole chamacuero, comes from the small town of Comonfort, situated between Celaya and San Miguel de Allende and is credited to the cook, Senora Leticia Sanchez. An old family recipe, it’s made when peaches, grapes and pomegranates are ripe in the local orchards. (Grapes and pomegranates were also introduced to Mexico.) Chilies, white onion and salt are first crushed in a volcanic stone mortar and pestle — finely chopped by hand is fine too — ripe avocado pulp is folded in, along with the chopped peaches, halved green grapes and lime juice, and sprinkled with red pomegranate seeds. Since no pomegranates are available locally right now, I omitted them. I served the guac with tortilla chips, but curiousity had me serve it on another occasion with grilled halibut.

This guacamole is as refreshing as it is delicious and takes your palate away from the ordinary. And although traditional guacamole – white onion, avocados, green chilies, tomatoes and cilantro – stays true to its indigenous Mexican roots – the guacamole chamacuero is a celebration of how ingredients travel the world and influence cuisines - and our palates - to become something new and exciting. Be a curious culinary explorer. Start with peaches. Your palate will thank you for it.

Save the date: Penticton’s Peach Fest runs from August 9-13: peachfest.com

Shelora Sheldan, writer, cook and curious traveller, goes in search of the delectable. This column runs every second Wednesday, exclusively in The Herald.

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