Peaches and Jewish food may not seem like they are an obvious pairing, but trust me, that’s far from the truth. Salty pastrami, challah bread pudding, and even roast chicken get a perfect summer makeover with some peach flavor. Here are five Jewish recipes with a peach twist to get you through the hot and humid months.
1. Peach Kugel from Witty in the City
The addition of peaches transforms traditional kugel from hearty, cold-weather comfort food to a refreshing side dish perfect for a cookout. Skip the canned variety in syrup when making this recipe in favor of fresh peaches with a deep yellow flesh that are just on the verge of overripe.
2. Peach Challah Bread Pudding With Salted Caramel from Bakes by Brown Sugar
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To maximize their depth of flavor, peaches are first roasted before being folded into a rich custard of cream and chunks of challah. That preliminary step, plus assembling the caramel sauce, render this recipe more time-consuming than most, but oh-so-worth-it for this rich and complex dessert. Looking to utilize even more seasonal fruit? Try this version that incorporates blueberries.
3. Peach and Pastrami Sandwiches With Peppery Mayo from Rhubarbians
I know, I know. It is borderline sacrilege and definitely unorthodox to dress a pastrami sandwich with anything besides mustard, let alone slices of fruit (and mayo-gasp!). But I am a firm believer that “new” and “different” aren’t always synonymous with “horrible,” so give peach a chance — this pastrami and peach combo from Rhubarbians may challenge your pastrami beliefs. And while you’re at it, eschew regular old rye for a bolder bread base, like seven-grain or walnut.
4. Roast Chicken With Peaches, Tomatoes, and Onions from Pure Wow
In this simple skillet supper, earthy roasted peaches well complement the fatty animal and vegetable notes of the chicken thighs cooked in olive oil and butter. Fruity sweetness from tomatoes balances the acidic tang of the sauteed red onions, while a scant amount of white wine deepens the dimension of the savory flavors.
5. Honey Cake With Peach and Pistachios from Delicious Magazine
Sure, traditional honey cake for Rosh Hashanah is classic and perfect. But honey cake studded with tree nuts and laced with orange flower nectar embodies an ideal sweet and salty confectionary treat. It’s incredibly moist, dense but not cloying, rendering it a fitting conclusion to light, weeknight dinner.
