The Peach Special

Nothing can beat a ripe summer peach — impossibly sweet and juicy, prone to streaming pleasingly down forearms when bitten into. But as with all stone fruit they somehow work miraculously well in savoury recipes and thrive with big contrasts of flavour. They stand up brilliantly to chilli, sharp cheeses, mustard and floral herbs. Here are some great ways to make the most of the season.

Breakfast of dreams.

To serve:
Greek yoghurt

1. First make the sauce — melt the butter in a pan, then add the peaches and brown sugar. Stir over a medium heat until the sugar has melted and the peaches have softened slightly. Lift out around half of the peaches from the pan with a metal slotted spoon and set aside for later. Add the cream and a good pinch of salt to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and set aside

2. Mix together the flour and baking powder

3. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and milk until incorporated. Whisk in the flour/baking powder, sugar and a pinch of salt until just combined (don’t overmix). Stir in the vanilla bean paste and the peaches that were lifted from the pan earlier

4. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and allow to heat up for a couple of minutes, then add the butter. When melted add the pancake batter to the pan - around 2 tbsp per pancake. Spoon into circles well-spaced in the pan (do this in batches if necessary) When golden on the underside turn and cook until golden on both sides and cooked through

5. Serve the pancakes with yoghurt and spoon over the peach butterscotch sauce

A really lovely balance of salty cheese, sweet peach and bitter leaves.

Recipe
Makes 2-3 portions