Bon Appétit Management Company

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Today, on July 24, Bon Appétit cafés across the country are celebrating Peachfest, to spotlight the summer peach harvest and showcase some of our local Farm to Fork peach growers.

It is no coincidence that Peachfest coincides with the recent release of the Masumoto Family Farm‘s beautiful new book, The Perfect Peach: Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm. Last summer, our chefs from several Southern California cafés visited and picked peaches at the farm in Del Rey, CA. We are proud to partner with the Masumotos once again.

Jim Dodge, director of specialty culinary programs for Bon Appétit, selected recipes from The Perfect Peach, which our chefs are featuring in the cafés. Depending on location, guests are tasting dishes inspired by the book, sampling local peaches, entering a drawing for the book and other peach goods, and more!

Want to celebrate Peachfest with us? Try the following recipes for Peach-Mint Lassi and Spinach Salad with Peaches and Peach Vinaigrette:

 

Peach-Mint Lassi*

• 1 soft or gushy large peach, peeled, pitted, and quartered
• 5 ice cubes
• 1 cup plain or flavored yogurt
• 1/4 cup water
• 5 or 6 fresh mint leaves
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, or 1½ teaspoons to 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 or 2 mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Combine the peach, ice cubes, yogurt, water, mint leaves, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a blender and process until smooth and the mint leaves are evenly distributed in the form of tiny green confetti. Taste and adjust with more sugar if needed.

Pour into 1 or 2 glasses and float a mint sprig on top.

 

Spinach Salad with Peaches and Peach Vinaigrette*

• 2 tablespoons peach jam
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice or golden balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups organic spinach leaves
• 1/4 to 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced and separated into slivers
• 2 firm small peaches or nectarines, peeled if using peaches, halved, pitted, and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
• Freshly ground pepper

To make the vinaigrette, combine all of the ingredients in a small jar, cap tightly, and shake vigorously until well mixed. Alternately, you can use your blender to combine the ingredients.

In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, onion, and peaches. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly. Divide the salad among salad plates, sprinkle with the sunflower seeds and a few grinds of pepper, and serve immediately.

VARIATION: Add some crumbled feta cheese or fresh goat cheese to make this more of a main dish salad.

 

 

*Reprinted with permission from The Perfect Peach: Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm Copyright © 2013 by Marcy Masumoto, Nikiko Masumoto, and David Mas Masumoto

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