Mmm... Peaches!

A friend of mine, from the great state of Texas, has one thing going on I would like above all else... a freakin' peach tree in her yard. Seriously... there are all sorts of levels of jealousy going on for the other beautiful things in her life, but she got the cherry on top with a lush peach tree! As this is her first year living with her tree, and has an abundant crop coming in, I thought I would post from the "Pennington Family Recipe Book" a few of my favorite peach recipes from all of the sides of my family.

Enjoy Elizabeth!!

Fresh Peach Sauce
*Serve this over pancakes in the morning... or ice cream at night... Yummy goodness from my Great-grandmother Scott

1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 dash ground nutmeg
1 cup sliced peeled fresh peaches
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium size saucepan, bring water, sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Add peaches. Bring to a boil; boil another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in extract. Serve warm.

Peach Crumble
*You can add whatever fruit you'd like, but mostly I make apple and peach. Yeah, and ice cream it up again!! Mmm. Thanks to Grandmother Edna, living in Baton Rouge.

8 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
Large pinch of ground cinnamon
Large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut
into small pieces
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats

Preheat the oven to 375F. Arrange the peach slices in a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with the lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar. With your fingers, blend the butter into the flour-sugar mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in the oats and sprinkle the mixture on top of the sliced peaches. Bake until the peaches are soft and the topping is brown, about 25 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

Fresh Peach Chutney
*Serve over cream cheese on crackers... with smoked salmon... the possibilities are endless for this... Thanks Grandmother Lois!

1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large sweet red pepper, seeded, diced 1/4 inch, about 1/2 cup
1 small white onion, peeled and diced, about 1/2 cup
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced, 2 tablespoons
1/3 cup white raisins
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds firm, fresh peaches, skin & pit removed, sliced into wedges

Put the vinegar and both sugars into a medium size saucepan, place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the red pepper, onion, jalapeño, raisins, garlic, ginger, salt and simmer 10 minutes. Add the peach segments and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes. If the peaches are still firm allow to cook several minutes more. If you would like the syrup thicker you may also allow to cook for a minute or two to reduce liquid.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pot. Serve at room temperature. Transfer all excess to a clean container and refrigerate, covered, for up to one week.

Grilled Balsamic Chicken and Peaches
*This is my recipe... well it started at a Betty Crocker site, then I evolved it to be my own. I could eat this EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup roughly-chopped fresh basil leaves
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 whole boneless and skinless chicken breasts
2 large sweet onions, thickley sliced
6 fresh peaches, skinned, halved, and pitted
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary

Put vinegar, maple syrup, 1/4 cup of the oil, salt and pepper into a wide, shallow dish and whisk to combine. Add chicken, turn to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, turning several times.

Prepare a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium high heat. Toss peaches and onions with orange juice, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, chopped rosemary, salt and pepper in a large bowl; set aside. Remove chicken from marinade and grill about 5 minutes per side, or until just cooked through. Transfer to a large plate and cover to keep warm. Grill peaches and onions until tender and slightly charred, then transfer to plate with chicken.