Recipe: Peach Puff with Strawberry Salsa

This recipe is adapted from one give to me by my friend Rosanne. She suggests serving the dish with a fruit salsa, so I concocted a simple Strawberry Salsa to serve with the Peach Puff. Bellinis, which are peach and champagne cocktails, would be the perfect accompanying festive beverage. “Everyone loves this dish, and it’s a forgiving recipe," Rosanne said.

Yield: 6 servings

Active Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 17-22 minutes
Cost: Approx. $11 (including ingredients for Strawberry Salsa)

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 extra-large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon almond or vanilla extract
• 1 pound (3 large) fresh, ripe peaches*, peeled and sliced to 1/4-inch thickness
• Strawberry salsa (recipe follows), warmed peach preserves or maple syrup

*Until peach season is here, I recommend selecting unsweetened frozen peach slices available at most local groceries. A one pound bag, thawed, is perfect in the recipe; I slice the pieces to 1/4-inch thickness. You may also used canned, drained peaches in the recipe.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs with wire whisk. Whisk in flour, sugar, salt, milk and extract and beat until mixture is smooth. Reserve.
3. Spray rectangular baking sheet (13"X9"X2"), or casserole (2 1/2 quart) with cooking oil spray. Place butter in baking dish and melt on middle rack of oven.
4. Stir peaches into butter; return peaches and butter to oven and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until peaches are just sizzling. (If you are using thawed frozen peaches, this will take an additional 2-3 minutes.)
5. Remove peaches from oven and pour reserved batter over peaches. Return to oven and bake 17-22 minutes, or until mixture if puffed and golden. Serve immediately with Strawberry Salsa (recipe follows), preserves or syrup.

Strawberry Salsa (yields 2 cups; leftovers are wonderful spooned over grilled chicken, beef or salmon; add some chopped jalapeno and shallot for added zest)

Ingredients

1/4 cup orange juice
Juice from 1 lime
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoons finely chopped mint or parsley
3/4-1 pound ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and diced
1/4 cup diced, fresh peaches or mango

Combine orange and lime juice, sugar and mint or parsley. Toss strawberries and peaches or mango into juice mixture. Let fruit steep in juices at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours before serving.

This recipe was adapted by Peggy Lampman and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on April 15, 2010.