Nerdie gave me a half a flat of peaches from Gold Country where his dad lives. There were pretty ripe so I didn’t think they would hold up being baked in a pie.
Instead, I envisioned a sweet and savory chunky jam that would go equally well with cheese as it would over vanilla ice cream. My vision come to delicious fruition! Here’s the recipe.
6 lbs ripe peaches, leave the skin on, pitted and quartered
2 Tbsp grassy California olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste
1 1/2 cup brown sugar, dark if you have it, or more to taste
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- On a large sheet tray, lay the peaches skin side down in a single layer. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt.
- Roast 15 minutes, then turn on one flesh side. Roast 10 minutes more and turn to the other flesh side. Roast a final 10 minutes and remove from the heat.
- When cool enough to handle, peel the skins off and discard.
- In a medium pot, combine the peaches, lemon juice and brown sugar. Cook down over medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes.
- Mash with a potato masher until you have your desired chunkiness.
- Taste for acid, salt and sugar, and adjust to your taste.
- When it’s cooked down and reached your desired thickness, cool and store in the fridge for up to a month, or preserve longer by canning.
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