Recipes for a complete meal highlighting the peach as the star

Peaches can serve as a summer staple for a lot of your cooking needs.

They are versatile and can help add wonderful flavor to salads, soups, meat, and side dishes galore. Deserts are obvious, but there’s great culinary power is truly understanding how peaches can up your summer cooking game.

With The Peach Truck tour dates coming up, with stops scheduled this summer across the region, it's an opportunity to get the most flavorfully intensely wonderful peaches you will find all summer long.

This year The Peach Truck is also selling a 100-page cookbook that has quickly become a bestseller. Online pre-orders are being accepted online.

>> When is The Peach Truck making a stop near you?

Recipes like a grilled kale with ricotta and peaches, crab salad with peaches, slow cooker Asian peach short ribs, peaches and cream bars, pork chops with sticky Bourbon peach sauce, spicy Jerk chicken with peach chutney, peach s’mores, hoagies with chilled grilled peaches, salami and brie, Greek yogurt peach push-up pops, peach phyllo tarts, peach and black bean salsa, peach-stuffed French toast, peach pizza with prosciutto and mozzarella, peach grilled cheese with bacon … you get the idea, there’s a whole lot you can do with a simple peach.

Here are a few recipes from The Peach Truck Cookbook to get you started with an entire meal from salad to dessert that will put the spotlight on the simple, delectable, delightful peach.

GRILLED KALE WITH RICOTTA & PEACHES

Grilling kale leaves over a hot fire makes them crispy and delicious. Tossing them with fresh peaches, a simple vinaigrette and pairing with creamy ricotta transforms them even further — into what may be one of our favorite summertime salads.

Serves 8

3 fresh peaches

½ c high-quality olive oil, divided

¼ c red wine vinegar

1 T honey

2 tsp minced fresh thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

18 large curly kale leaves

1 16 oz container whole milk ricotta

Wash and pat dry kale leaves. Brush both sides of the leaves lightly with ¼ cup olive oil and set aside. Add remaining olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey and thyme to a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Wash, pit and thinly slice peaches with a serrated knife. Add the peaches to the bowl of vinaigrette and toss to combine. Set aside.

Grill the kale leaves over a medium-hot charcoal or gas grill, turning once, until they begin to turn slightly charred and crispy around the edges, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the cooked leaves to a work surface and season lightly with salt and pepper. Trim the and discard the stems and tear the leaves into smaller pieces.

To serve, stir the ricotta to loosen it and spread along on the bottom of a serving platter. Toss grilled kale with the peaches and vinaigrette, check for seasoning and arrange over the ricotta.

SPICY JERK CHICKEN WITH PEACH CHUTNEY

We’ve said it before, but sweet Georgia peaches stand up to spicy flavors like nothing else. This recipe further proves that point. We’ve included a recipe for jerk seasoning, but you could use a store-bought jerk seasoning mix for your chicken if desired. But make no mistake, it’s the peach chutney that’s the star of this show. Once made, it will keep for a couple weeks in the refrigerator - assuming you don’t eat it all before then!

PEACH CHUTNEY

1 cup finely-diced onion

1 cup finely-diced red bell pepper

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 T minced garlic (about three cloves)

1 T grated fresh ginger

½ cup golden raisins

6-8 peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into cubes

¾ cup apple cider vinegar

1 T fresh lemon juice

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 ½ tsp salt

2 T honey

CHICKEN

2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins

jerk seasoning (store bought or use recipe below)

JERK SEASONING

⅛ cup firmly-packed brown sugar

1 ½ tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp salt

1 T ground allspice

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp freshly-ground black pepper

½ tsp dried thyme

2 T olive oil

Prepare the peach chutney first. Add the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and brown sugar to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add all remaining chutney ingredients except peaches and stir. Bring this mixture back to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Add the peaches and stir to combine. Let the mixture return to a simmer and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until liquid is thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature for serving. If making in advance, transfer to a glass container and refrigerate until needed.

For the chicken, begin with making the jerk seasoning. Blend all the ingredients for the jerk seasoning together in a small bowl until fully combined. Coat the chicken breast tenderloins with the seasoning and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and place on skewers. Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken skewers to a serving platter and serve with peach chutney.

PIE PROVISIONS’ PEACHY HUMMINGBIRD PIE

This recipe was created by our friends at Pie Provisions!

Ingredients:

1 Bottom Pie Crust (in a pie pan), keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Fruit Filling:

4 cups Peaches, peeled and diced

2 cups Pineapple, diced

1 Banana, sliced

½ cup Light Brown Sugar

1 Tbs Cornstarch

1 tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Nutmeg

1/8th tsp Salt

1 Tbs Spiced Rum

Streusel Topping:

1 cup All Purpose Flour

¼ cup Sugar

3 Tbs Light Brown Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/8th tsp Salt

½ cup + 1 Tbs Pecans, toasted and finely chopped

7 Tbs Unsalted Butter, melted

Cream Cheese Frosting:

¼ cup Unsalted Butter, softened

3 oz Cream Cheese, softened

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/8th tsp Salt

1 cup Confectioners’ Sugar

Directions for Fruit Filling:

1. Combine peaches, pineapple, and banana in a large bowl. Mix until combined.

2. Combine light brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a second bowl. Mix until combined.

3. Pour the dry ingredients on top of the mixed fruit. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix until combined.

4. Add spiced rum. Mix until combined. Set aside.

Directions for Streusel Topping:

1. Combine flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and ½ cup pecans in a bowl.

2. Add melted butter. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix until combined. The streusel topping should have a slightly “sandy” texture.

Directions for Cream Cheese Frosting:

*Note: We recommend making the frosting right before using it!*

1. Add butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract and salt to a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, begin mixing on low and gradually increase speed until smooth and creamy. Periodically turn off machine and scrape down sides with a spatula.

2. Slowly add in confectioners’ sugar. Allow the sugar to incorporate before adding more. Continue to mix on medium-high speed until completely combined. Periodically turn off machine and scrape down sides with a spatula.

3. Once completely combined, remove frosting from the stand mixer and spoon into a plastic storage bag with a piping tip. Set aside until ready to use.

Assembly:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400° F.

2. Remove the bottom pie crust from the refrigerator. Pour the fruit filling into the pie crust. Scrape all of the juices from the bowl using a spatula and pour over the top of the fruit.

3. Using your hands, spread the streusel topping evenly over the fruit, making sure to cover the entire pie.

4. Bake the pie for 20 minutes on the bottom rack.

5. Reduce the oven temperature to 375° F and bake for 30 minutes.

6. Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F. Move the pie to the middle rack, rotate the pie 180° and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. The pie is ready when the crust is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling slightly.

7. Once the pie is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool on the counter.

8. Once the pie is completely cooled, carefully pipe 8 rosettes around the edge of the pie. Sprinkle each rosette with finely chopped pecans. This pie will last in the refrigerator for up to 7 days

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