i should probably explain that.
in my last post, i celebrated a little victory over mother nature: my rapini did not rot to slime. instead, i enjoyed almost all of it through several meals.
i fared a little worse with the peaches i bought last week from that haven, the Produce Station. today i could walk through the living room and smell the intoxicating smell of peach: they were that ripe.
so i poked one. it gave, not sickeningly or putridly so ..for there remained a bit of resistance in the flesh under the peach skin.. but it was soft.
it wouldn't be long before the flies would come, in little sinister clouds ..i might have seen a few and panicked. maybe that's why i made what i made; there is a critical time for certain foods where one must cook them when they are their ripest, but not yet spoilt.
plantains are such foods, and i think i'll now add peaches to that list. so enough of this mystery:
spiced peach chutney/jam.
disclaimer: this is the first time i made this, and i'm not a jam expert. to be honest, i don't know how you would serve this, though i will try it tomorrow with good breakfast bread. i imagine it might be good atop of grilled foods, like a good fillet of flaky fish, or perhaps asparagus.
also, this is constant stirring ..just to warn you.
ingredients:
3 medium peaches, really ripe, cut into small chunks;
(i peeled the skin off, without blanching them.)
a few glugs of olive oil;
a pinch of salt;
a little nutmeg, and a little cardamom;
two good teaspoons of brown sugar;
two glasses of port,
the kind you'd drink by yourself
but wouldn't serve to friends;
a few shakes of tolerable balsamic vinegar.
"directions" (what i tried): i didn't do much, actually, except saute the peaches and added liquids intermittently.
start a frying pan on high heat, enough to sizzle inadvertent drops of water on its surface, and add oil. about a half-minute later, add peaches. start stirring.
once liquid seeps out from the peaches, switch to medium or low heat. the idea is to let it simmer, but not spatter. add spices and sugar and keep stirring, but less often.
once the peach saute thickens and changes color slightly..
(i don't know if this is caramelisation, or whether the spices and brown sugar mixed very well, so use your judgment)
..add one glass of port, and stir well while sipping the other glass.
** be careful not to be directly above the pan;
evaporating port fumes are a doozy!
now wait for the mixture to thicken again, and add the balsamic vinegar in the same way. once it thickens to the consistency of a wonderful, fresh fruit topping on hot, steaming pancakes, turn the heat off.
let cool, and spoon into a jar. now you have jam.
