A Happy Miscommunication

Owning our own business has led to a new level of closeness and partnership between Brian and me.  We spend days discussing how to grow the business, better meet the needs of our students, improve the website, etc.  It has led me to be probably the happiest and most content I have ever been in my professional life.

It also has led me to be home much less so Brian has become the primary canine caregiver, and food preparation has become a more evenly split affair (OK, fine Brian is doing most of the dinner prep these days).  I do try to hold up my end of things, making sauces ahead of time, marinating meat the day before, etc.

Last week, we had pork chops sitting in the fridge, waiting for one of us to come up with a flavor plan.  I went ahead during some free time one morning and made a balsamic glaze for the chops, thinking we could just drizzle it over simply grilled chops.  However, Brian had beaten me to the preparation punch and already had the chops marinating in a Latin-inspired mixture of citrus juices, cumin and oregano.  In my mind the marinade and the glaze tasted awful together. 

Balsamic glaze requires a nice amount of balsamic vinegar, which is not an inexpensive proposition.  In this case, I had reduced almost three-fourths of a cup down to one-third of a cup.  It was a lot of good vinegar, and I did not want it to go to waste.

Luckily, a by-product of this entirely-too-hot-for-my-taste summer is the most bountiful local peach season we have encountered.  Every day, the grocery store has baskets overflowing with Hudson Valley peaches.  These peaches have been ripe, juicy, wonderfully sweet orbs.  Brian loves peaches nearly as much as he loves tomatoes so at a minimum he has been eating two per day. 

I enjoy the peaches, but after days on end of plain, ripe peaches, I wanted a little pizazz.  Not much, just something to make them extra special.   And that is where the balsamic glaze enters the picture.  It gives the super-sweet peaches a touch of tartness that makes them sing.  Somehow those sweet peaches taste a little daring, a little dangerous with that glaze and it makes them oh so fun!

You just need to drizzle a little glaze over freshly sliced peaches.  It doesn't take much.  Balsamic vinegar has a sweetness to it that makes it a good candidate for dressing fruit (remember this for strawberry season next spring).   So give it a try...take your fruit over to the wild side!


PEACHES WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (I used Colavita brand)

Fresh, ripe peaches

In a small saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil.  Boil until it is reduced by half, this will take five to ten minutes, depending on the size of the pan.  Keep a close eye on it as the sugar content in the vinegar makes it a candidate for burning if it is over reduced.  Remove from the heat and cool.

Slice peaches into wedges.  Using a small spoon, lightly drizzle the peaches with the glaze.  Start with just a few drops on the peach, taste it, and adjust to taste.

If your peaches are slightly under-ripe (meaning they don't slightly yield to light pressure when touched), then stick them in a brown paper bag, folded close, overnight.