maple syrup poached peaches

Peaches…in the dead of winter, you’re wondering, right? It’s one of the benefits of hoarding them last summer. I ran out of room in the pantry to store cans, and after putting up 60 somewhat jars of jams, tomatoes, pickles, and yes, peaches, the freezer fell victim to my quest to preserve summer as long as humanly possible.

With luck, I will have enough until the summer’s first rays of sun and warmth coax new seedlings to sprout. 

My sweet tooth was short-circuited this last holiday season. I’ve never hit a wall with wanting a cookie or something sugary, but alas the day finally came. I swear someone hit my reset button, like what happened to Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 3.

It’s as though I’m back to my original factory settings, and things that used to seem normal are foreign. Hence the meat-free thing. I also cut my hair last week, and started worrying I was going through some crazy mid-life crisis. Since there is also no urge to run and out and buy a pair of Maholo’s (one of my life-long desires), I think I can nix that notion.

But back to the peaches.

There I was one night, looking for something to snack on. Staring at me in the fridge was a container with a quick peach syrup I made for the previous morning’s pancake breakfast. Seriously, when I say easy, I’m not kidding. The peaches were already pitted and sliced, skins left on, tucked into a zip-top bag in the freezer. I tossed some into a bowl with a drizzle of maple syrup and let the microwave do its thing for the next two minutes.

Voila—maple syrup poached peaches!

Well, the peaches needed some crunch, so I toasted a slice of oat soda bread. After dressing it with a spoonful of peaches, I decided it needed a creamy component too. A whisper of homemade yogurt was the perfect finishing touch. Really, this is just an easy, yet fancied version of a shortcake when you think about it.

Turns out change can be very good. In this case, pretty darn delicious too.

Wait, where’s the recipe? How could I take you this far, then leave you hanging, right? Well it’s pretty foolproof, so you can just wing it. Add some frozen peaches to a microwave-safe bowl, drizzle with syrup to your liking of sweetness, then cook it on high for two minutes, until bubbly. You can also do this on the stove top in a small pot if you like, but it’ll take longer.

p.s. sorry no photo on this one folks. Late night snacking means no light to snap a good shot.