Hello! And welcome back to a long-winding post about how busy the past months have been. I feel embarrassed to see that the last blog post was in July but to be honest, August has been a very overwhelming month with adult decisions every day. With all of that and this sudden existential question arising from within of “Who am I?” and “What do I want to do in life?” There was a natural drop-off in writing long-format content.

I am still working through some of these things before I can actually publish them on a public forum. So while those take their sweet time to come to fruition, let’s talk about peaches. You may have noticed on Instagram that now I create reels that focus a bit on food history and the etymology of how something ended up on your plate.

Whether it’s their flavour or their fuzz, there’s something about peaches that just seems so friendly. Peaches originated in China, where they are one of the most ancient domesticated fruits, with nearly 4000 years of cultivation. Alexander the Great brought them to the rest of the world with Persia being the first port that really expanded the reach of the fruit.

However, what put peaches on the map of most of Europe was that they are one of a small number of fruits that actually require a chill to blossom. This made their cultivation in the colder climates of Europe possible, instantly cementing their popularity as one of the only readily-available sweet natural treats in the region.

Peaches completed their world domination in the mid-1500s when the fruits were brought to the Americas by a group of Spanish monks. This humble fruit has travelled the entire world on a trip that took thousands of years. In many ways, it’s seen more than any one of us ever will and somehow that makes them all the more beautiful as fruit and something that we enjoy without even giving it a thought.

I will be back with better, longer, more vulnerable blog posts in October. Off to Turkey for half a month! BRB and as always happy cooking!

Ingredients

2-3 ripe peaches, halved and pitted

Salad mix

Burrata cheese

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Method

• Start by making the balsamic glaze in a saucepan on medium heat. Add balsamic vinegar and sugar and cook down until the vinegar bubbles and gets thick. It may smell a little foul but that’s just the vinegar effervescing.

• On high heat, melt some butter in a cast iron griddle pan and then add the peaches. Cook for about 3-5 minutes seed-side down.

• Assembly is easy: add a healthy mix of salad greens, cheese, and peaches. Drizzle with olive oil (optional) and the glaze. Add some nuts or dried cranberries for added texture!