When used correctly, vinegar is an important ingredient that never overpowers food, but only enhances it. Essentially, vinegar is little more than alcoholic fluid that’s been given extra air exposure. This exposure is what gives vinegar a sour taste, but not all vinegars taste the same. Depending upon what alcoholic fluid the vinegar was made from, the flavor may be either mild or robust.Types of Vinegar
Truly, an entire book could be written about vinegar and its many types. Any fluid with starch or sugar can be made into vinegar, including berries, dates, and many fruits. The most popular among these is apple cider vinegar. The most famous starchy vinegar is rice-wine vinegar, originally made by the Japanese from, you guessed it, rice.

In Britain, malt vinegars are popular and are made from beer without hops. Italians are known for their balsamic vinegar, which is created from crushed and aged grapes.

In the United States, white wine and red wine vinegar are frequently used. Both are, as their name indicates, made from wine, but white wine vinegar is mild and mostly used as a base for other flavors, whereas red wine vinegar has a fuller flavor and is often used for marinades or vinaigrettes.

Cooking with Vinegar

• When boiling or frying fish, add a tablespoon of vinegar to cut down on fishy flavors or smells. Vinegar also helps keep the meat of the fish tender.

• If you must use canned fish or shrimp, improve the taste greatly by immersing it in sherry and 2 tablespoons vinegar. Allow to soak for about 15 minutes, then use like fresh.

• To maintain a fish’s white meat, soak it for about 20 minutes in 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 quart of water. A tablespoon of vinegar added to mashed potatoes (once they are mashed and milk has been added) also keeps the potatoes white.

• Vinegar is excellent at tenderizing meat. Use it as a marinade ingredient, especially for tough cuts.

• If you’re cooking fruit in a pan, add a spoon of vinegar. It will enhance the fruit’s natural flavor.

• Similarly, if you’re making a soup with a tomato base, or you’re making home made tomato sauce, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of vinegar at the end of cooking to enhance flavors.

• If a fruit based dessert is too sweet, add a little bit of vinegar.

• To create bread with a golden crust, remove the loaf from the oven just before it’s done baking and brush vinegar over the crust. Place back in the oven and finish baking.

• To make meringue fluffier and more resistant to falling, just before beating add ½ teaspoon of vinegar for every 3 eggs.

• For more ideas, check out Gourmandia’s vinegar recipes on video.

Storing Vinegar
Keep vinegar in its original air-tight bottle in a dark, cool location. Don’t store near the stove, or the heat and moisture of that area will make the vinegar loose its flavor more rapidly. Properly stored, vinegar usually maintains its flavor for about 6 months to a year.

Greens – the leafy part of a wide variety of vegetables, including collards, spinach, beet leaves, kohlrabi leaves, and sorrel – are not only delicious, they are extremely healthy, too. Packed with vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, fiber, and folic acid, they are a great way to make your cooking healthier. Many greens also prevent food waste. For example, beet greens are traditionally thrown in the trash, but they cook up beautifully. So next time you cook beets, be sure to save the greens.

Greens can have a wide variety of flavors, from bitter to more sweet, but they are nearly always interchangeable in recipes. Most recipes for greens reduce any natural bitterness, but greens can be served blanched, wilted, braised, sautéed, or pureed.

Serving Sizes
Greens cook down more than you’d think. For example a medium head of escarole reduces to about ¾ cup once it’s sautéed. Until you’re used to cooking greens, prepare about double what you think would be eaten raw.

Storing Greens
Greens store best if they aren’t washed first. Place them in an air tight bag and keep them in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer for up to a week or so. You can also blanch greens for 1 to 4 minutes (depending upon how tough they are), refresh immediately in ice water, press (to remove excess water), then freeze.

Basic Recipe
A good basic recipe for any type of green is to wash the leaves in cool water and remove the stems. (If you’re using older leaves – which tend to be more bitter and fibrous – remove the entire length of stem by folding the leaf in half lengthwise. Then grab the leaf in one hand and yank off the stem with your other hand.)

Stack the leaves, and roll them into a cigar shape. Cut the greens about ¼ inch or less wide. In a sauté pan, heat some olive oil. Add 3 to 5 minced garlic cloves, plus ½ teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon salt. Add greens and sauté, stirring frequently until greens are tender.

Other Ways with Greens
Try cooking greens in bacon grease (and crumble up some bacon in the cooked greens before serving).

Greens also cook well in stock or a mixture of stock and olive oil.

Greens make a nice addition to stuffings, stir fry, soups and stews - especially those greens that are less bitter, like chard. Some greens, like carrot tops, are best used like an herb, chopped up and added to dishes like green salads, soups, stews, and such.

Almost all greens go well with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, or orange juice.

For more ideas, see Gourmandia’s spinach recipes on video and sorrel recipes on video.

Warning
Always cook greens in cast iron, stainless steel, or enameled cookware. Otherwise, the natural acidity in the greens may react with the metal.

When summertime grilling comes to mind, most people think of tossing hamburgers, hot dogs, and maybe corn on the cob on the barbecue. But almost any vegetable grills up well, making it easier to create a healthy, delicious meal any day. Best of all, grilling vegetables is easy and quick.

What Vegetables to Grill

Nearly any vegetable can go on the grill, but some standouts are asparagus, eggplant, mushrooms, bell or hot peppers, onions, cabbage, and corn. Artichokes, beets, radishes, fennel, leeks, zucchini, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, and any type of squash are also excellent choices.

How to Grill ‘Em

The steps for grilling veggies are simple:

1. Wash and trim the vegetable.

2. Cut the veggie in into slices about ½ inch thick.

3. Brush the vegetable with olive oil (and, if desired, herbs) or marinade.

4. Larger vegetable pieces can go directly on a preheated grill, but smaller vegetables need to go on skewers or in a grilling basket.  

5. While grilling, brush with oil or marinade, and turn frequently. This prevents drying and scorching.

6. When the skin on the veggie starts to blister and the center is soft, remove from the grill.

Marinades

Most chefs recommend a marinade made mostly from lemon or lime juice mixed with oil. A good basic recipe is to mix 2 parts olive oil, 1 minced garlic clove, and 1 part lemon juice. To this, fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary may be added.

Switch things up a bit by trying different types of oil (like sesame or walnut oil) or replace the juice with vinegar (like balsamic or red wine vinegar).

Tips

When grilling eggplant, soak in water for 30 minutes before grilling. Pat dry before applying oil or marinade. The same is true of asparagus, although you can soak that vegetable for closer to an hour.

For corn, don’t remove the husks; just pull the husks back and remove the silk. Soak in cold water for half an hour, pat dry, brush with butter, and pull the husks back up, securing them in place with string.

Cut off the root end of a whole garlic, brush with oil, and grill with the cut side down until the skin is brown.

For go-with ideas, check out Gourmandia’s grilling recipes on video.

Warning

Most veggies cook quickly on the grill, so keep your eye on them, less they burn.

There is only one food that never spoils: Honey. Unlike sugar, honey contains calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, B6, niacin, thiamin, and several amino acids. Honey also stores better than sugar, enhances browning and crisping, enhances other flavors in the recipe, and retains moisture in baked goods. All in all, this ancient sweetener is an excellent addition to recipes both sweet and savory.

Types of Honey

Whole-comb honey comes straight from the bee hive and is the least processed form available. To use, the honey must be scooped from the comb and debris must be filtered from it.

Raw honey is already removed from the comb, but it often contains small pieces of wax and debris.

Filtered honey is raw honey that’s been heated slightly and is better filtered.

Liquid honey has been heated to kill microorganisms. This honey is typically a lighter color and has a milder in taste. It is also more resistant to crystallizing, therefore storing more easily for long periods of time. However, liquid honey isn’t as high in minerals and vitamins.

Crystallized honey (sometimes called spun honey) is creamier because some of the moisture has been removed. This is the most processed form of honey.

Buying Honey

Always read honey labels carefully, since some products sold in grocery stores have added sugar. Also look for “U.S. Grade A” or “U.S. Fancy” labels on grocery store honey bottles.

Recently, some honey from China (which is not always properly labeled as being from China) was diluted with corn syrup, water, or sugar. Chinese honey may also be more apt to contain pesticides and other chemicals. Therefore, many chefs prefer to purchase local honey. This has the added benefit of making it possible for you to ask what drugs were used to treat the bees that made the honey; trace amounts of those drugs may be found in the honey.

Storing Honey

Keep honey in its original container, in a cool, dark location. Liquid honey will last indefinitely. If air leaks into the container, the honey may turn dark and more intensely flavored. Honey may also crystallize while in storage, but placing the honey container in a pot of hot water will melt the crystals and make the honey usable again.

Cooking with Honey

Honey typically is between 25 and 40 percent sweeter than table sugar, so while honey is a great alternative to sugar, less is needed in any given recipe.

Honey also contains 10 to 18 percent water, so when substituting honey for sugar, reduce any liquids in the recipe by about a fifth.

For sweet foods, bake 25 degrees F. lower in oven temperature than you would if using sugar.

Baked goods with honey can over-brown. Sour milk or cream, if called for in the recipe, will counteract this tendency. Otherwise, add a pinch of baking soda.

Because honey crisps and browns more readily than sugar, try using it for glazes. 

Honey also keeps baked goods moist longer, so it’s ideal for cakes and other goods that will sit for a while before being consumed.

For more ideas for cooking with honey, check out Gourmandia’s honey recipes on video.

Warnings

According to The Mayo Clinic, honey – even heated honey – isn’t safe for children 1 year of age or younger; it’s possible for small children to develop food poisoning from the food.

As aspiring cooks explore the world of gourmet food, one of the terms they’re certain to run across is bouquet garni (boh-kay gar-nee). At its simplest, a bouquet garni is a bunch of herbs tied together and used to flavor the liquid of stews, soups, stocks, and other dishes. Unlike other forms of traditional herb seasoning, however, the bouquet garni – and consequently the herbs – are removed before the dish is served. Once you’ve tried making a bouquet garni, you’ll discover it’s an easy and highly effective way to add depth of flavor to many dishes.

Tradition

Although it’s likely the bouquet garni was used as far back as the Middle Ages and varied widely in its contents, most chefs will tell you a traditional French bouquet garni uses fresh parsley, and fresh or dried bay leaf,  and thyme. Auguste Escoffier, one of the leaders in bringing French cuisine to the world stage, made his bouquet garni with  8 parts parsley, 1 part bay leaf, and 1 part thyme.

Variations

Today, however, the bouquet garni isn’t so rigidly defined. Any mixture of herbs may be used – usually at least 3 at a time, although 4 or 5 isn’t uncommon, either. The modern day bouquet garni needn’t be restricted to herbs, either. Some chefs use citrus rind, garlic, peppercorn, and vegetables (especially celery leaves or stalks, carrots or carrot greens, and onion).

How to Make a Bouquet Garni

The most traditional way to make a bouquet garni is to tie the herb bunches up with kitchen string.

Alternatively, herbs can be tied up in a piece of cheesecloth; this is also sometimes called a sachet d’Epices (sa-shay duh eh-pie-says) and traditionally holds spices, not just herbs. For this method, cut a piece of cheesecloth into a square measuring about 7 inches across. Fill the square with herbs and pull up each corner of the cheesecloth. Tie the corners together with string. An easier method is to make or buy an unbleached muslin bag with a drawstring; sometimes these are sold in tea stores.

Yet another alternative is to tie the herbs up in some large herb or vegetable leaves. Leek leaves are common for this purpose, but be as creative as you like. The very first historical mention of the bouquet garni, in 1656, remarks that chef Pierre de Lune placed his herbs (chives, cloves, thyme, parsley, and chervil) in a slice of bacon.

How to Use a Bouquet Garni

Place any type of bouquet garni in the pot when you add the other ingredients. Let it float freely; there’s no need to tie to the pot handle, for example. When the ingredients are done cooking in the liquid, remove the bouquet garni by lifting it out with a slotted spoon or tongs. Toss the bouquet garni in the trash or compost bin.

Yeast is an essential baking ingredient, but far too many home bakers are afraid of it. Is the yeast active? Will it make the dough rise? many bakers wonder. It’s true that one or two generations back, yeast was a tricky thing to handle. Sometimes home bakers purchased yeast only to have it spoil before it was used. But today, yeast is much more reliable and no cook should avoid a recipe just because it contains yeast.

What is Yeast?

Yeast is a baking ingredient used to make bread and other foods rise, or to ferment foods like beer. It is a microscopic, singled-celled fungi – a live plant. Yeast loves an environment of about 80 degrees, but dies off at temperatures of about 138 degrees F.

How Does Yeast Work?

Yeast eats other ingredients, like sugar or flour, and as a result produces ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. These gas bubbles get trapped in the dough by the flour’s elastic protein (called gluten), which results in the dough rising and becoming fluffier.

Dry Yeast

In the food world, the most common type of yeast is baker’s yeast. It’s used to leaven baked foods. In this respect, it works much like baking soda or baking power. However, baking soda or powder experience a chemical reaction with other cooking ingredients, which leads to a release of carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is what makes the food rise. Yeast also creates carbon dioxide, but it does so because the yeast actually consumes the dough it’s mixed into.

Baker’s yeast comes in two forms: dry and fresh. Dry yeast (which looks like small granules) is made by taking fresh, compressed yeast and dehydrating it partially to make the yeast dormant. The yeast becomes active once it’s dehydrated with warm fluid.

Dry yeast is commonly used because it lasts longer than fresh yeast. If purchased in foil packages, store dry yeast in a cool, dry location. If purchased in a 4 oz. jar, once the container is opened, refrigerate it.

Dry yeast comes in two forms: Rapid-rise and regular. Rapid-rise yeast requires half the time to rise, but it doesn’t have the same yeasty taste and texture as regular dry yeast.

Fresh Yeast

Good fresh yeast (which looks like compressed cake) is off-white or slightly yellow, as well as moist and crumbly. It should not have dark spots. Because fresh yeast goes bad quickly, it’s mostly used by professional bakers working in large quantities. It’s usually sold in small foil packaging and requires refrigeration or freezing.

Which to Use?

In all recipes, fresh and dried yeast may be used interchangeably.

Proofing

Some recipes call for “proofing” or testing yeast to ensure it’s still active. With modern dry yeast, this is not necessary, but it’s an important step when using fresh yeast.

To proof fresh yeast, put a little warm water in a small bowl and add a small amount of  sugar, then a small amount of yeast. Allow the mixture to sit a few minutes. If it turns bubbly or frothy, the yeast is good.

Vanilla is one ingredient for which there’s no substitute. Real vanilla includes over 250 components, resulting in a complex flavor no artificial vanilla (which includes just 1 component) can ever imitate. Selecting quality vanilla for baking and cooking makes a real difference in the finished dish, which is one reason why vanilla is the second most expensive spice sold today. (Saffron is the first.)

Where Vanilla Comes From

Vanilla comes from v. planifolia, an orchid that’s native to Central America. When this plant is pollinated by Melipona bees or a Central American hummingbird, it grows pods or beans. Otherwise, the orchid’s bloom – which last only a day – falls off and produces nothing edible. In commercial settings, the orchid must be hand pollinated – a time consuming and expensive method.

If left to itself, v. planifolia grows up to the top of jungle trees and won’t produce flowers – or vanilla beans – until it reaches it’s full height. In commercial settings, the plant is pruned to encourage blossoms. The orchid’s pods are not brown, but green, when they are picked. Then, follow a process first started by the Aztec’s, the beans are fermented by putting them in hot water, then dried during the day and “sweat” in blankets at night. Finally, the pods are aged. It takes up to 2 years until the bean becomes a usable vanilla pod.

No wonder vanilla is expensive!

Types of Vanilla

Madagascar Bourbon vanilla pods are the most common. About 80 percent of the world’s vanilla is of this type, growing in Madagascar and Reunion (once called the Isle de Bourbon). This type of vanilla is sweet, smooth, and rich.

There are also Tahitian vanilla beans, which are extremely aromatic, if not as tasty. This type of bean is most popular for making candles and perfumes.

Mexican vanilla beans have the strongest scent and taste. Sometimes the vanilla is made with an FDA banned chemical called coumarin, which is said to cause damage to kidneys and livers.

Extract

Almost everyone has some vanilla extract in their kitchen cupboard. Extract is made by steeping vanilla beans in water and alcohol. Sometimes sugar is also added.

Many vanilla extracts found in grocery stores, however, are not made from vanilla beans at all. They are labeled “imitation vanilla” and are made from coal or specific types of conifer trees). Extract labeled “Vanilla Flavoring” is a mixture of imitation vanilla extract and pure vanilla extract.

Beans

Most professional chefs and bakers prefer using the actual vanilla pod or bean. Compared to vanilla extract, vanilla beans have a more complex taste and scent. When purchasing beans, pick those that are black, shiny, moist, and plump. The best vanilla beans have a white powder on them, called vanillin.

Vanilla beans come in three grades. “Fine Vanilla” is quite aromatic. Beans measure 8 to 12 inches long, are black, and have some vanillin. “Woody Vanilla” beans measure 5 to 8 inches long, have no vanillin, and have a dry surface. “Vanillon” are partially opened vanilla beans, measuring 4 to 5 inches. They have a mildly bitter scent, are brown and soft, and rarely have vanillin.

To use vanilla beans, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the pulp and seeds. Place the pod, pulp, and seeds in the liquid called for in the recipe and allow them to steep. The strained liquid is used for the recipe, but you can stretch the beans further by rinsing and burying them in granulated white sugar. Cover the sugar and allow the mixture to sit for about 2 weeks. Use the resulting sugar in any recipe calling for sugar.

You can also make your own vanilla extract by placing 3 vanilla beans, cut in half lengthwise, into 1 cup of vodka. Cover snugly. Allow to steep for 6 months, occasionally shaking the concoction. Store in a dark, cool location.

Store unused vanilla beans in an airtight container in a dark, cool location. They will last indefinitely.

Be sure to check out Gourmandia’s vanilla recipes on video.

Here in the States, we’re celebrating our independence this weekend. So with that celebratory spirit in mind, here are a few fun food facts to give you a chuckle or make you go “hmmm…”

• This Independence Day, an estimated 150 million hot dogs will be eaten in the U.S. And there’s a 25 percent chance those dogs originated in Iowa, since they raise 17.6 million hogs and pigs.
• Ice cream is a cross between Chinese and Italian food. When explorer Marco Polo visited China in the late 13^th century, he brought back a recipe for something called “milk ice.” His fellow Italians substituted the milk in the recipe for cream - and “ice cream” was born.
• Potato chips were invented in 1853 by George Crum, a chef at a Saratoga Springs, NY restaurant. A customer complained the chef’s French fries were too thick, so a smart-alecky Crum sliced a potato paper thin, fried them, and served them to the complainer. Soon the chips were famous.
• The first commercially prepared breakfast food was Shredded Wheat.
• It takes 12 bees to produce a single tablespoon of honey. Good thing honey is the only food that never spoils.
• Bubble gum flavor is a mixture of vanilla, wintergreen, and cinnamon.
• Pumpkins and tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables.
• The most popular beverage in the world is beer…followed by tea.
• German chocolate cake is not a German invention, but an American one. The cake was created in 1852 by Sam German. He used chocolate from the famous Baker’s Chocolate company and the cake was named after him.
• Hot chocolate probably dates back to the 5^th century, when the ancient Mayans made a drink from cocoa beans, chili peppers, spices, cornmeal, and water.
• The first mention of fondant in the “Oxford English Dictionary” was in 1877.
• The first cookbook written for housewives, rather than trained chefs is thought to be was “Modern Cookery for Private Families” by Eliza Acton, published in 1845.

For more food trivia, check out Gourmandia’s Fruito quizzes on Facebook.

There are many ways to make cakes - and professional bakers know that depending on how the batter is prepared, the finished texture of the cake varies. Once you understand the basic types of cakes and the best way to mix up their batter, your cakes can go from so-so to spectacular. So next time you’re making one of Gourmandia’s cake recipes on video, think about what sort of cake you’re making so you’ll know best how to combine the ingredients into a superb cake.

Butter Cakes

This type of cake contains fat – usually butter or oil. Leavening (often in the form of baking powder) is also an essential ingredient, making the cake rise.

For this type of cake, the butter is usually softened. The sugar and butter are beaten together to add air to the mixture and to partly dissolve the sugar. Once this is done, dry ingredients and wet ingredients are alternately added. The end result is a light, crumbly cake.

Pound cakes are the most basic type of butter cake. Traditionally made with a pound of every ingredient (butter, sugar, flour, and eggs), the resulting cake is dense but not heavy. Most coffee cakes and fruit crumb cakes are variations on the classic pound cake. Layered cakes are usually butter cakes, also. Classic devil’s food cake and white cakes fall into this category.

Sponge Cakes

Sponge or foam cakes typically don’t contain fat (butter or oil) or baking powder or other leaveners. What they do contain is whipped egg whites (or sometimes whole, whipped, eggs). Whipping the eggs first adds air pockets to them. The air pockets then expand when the cake is baked, making the cake quite light and spongy.

In order to avoid compressing the air in the whipped eggs, dry ingredients are usually sifted over, then folded into, the eggs.

Angel food cake is perhaps the best known sponge cake. In the best versions, egg whites are whipped with sugar, making the eggs quite firm. The high sugar content and the lack of egg yolks make the cake chewy.

Genoise is a sponge cake made with whole eggs. To make this cake’s flavor stronger, the eggs are stirred with sugar over simmering water. Later they are whipped, and flavored syrup is brushed over the cake.

Chiffon cake is usually classified as a sponge cake, but it’s really a mixture of sponge and butter cakes. It requires baking powder and oil, while egg whites are whipped into soft peaks before folding them into the batter and adding egg yolks.

Flourless

No flour cakes (or cakes made with little or no flour) are usually creamy and can be baked or unbaked. The baked versions include flourless chocolate cakes and cheesecakes. Unbaked varieties are usually chilled before serving and include mousse cakes and some cheesecakes.

It’s that time of year where a walk in the produce department makes my mouth water. The heady scent of peaches fills the air, and I can’t wait to take some home. Although peaches are scrumptious eaten alone, they are also a gourmet addition to many meals, savory or sweet. Think creatively this summer, and enjoy sweet, juicy peaches while they last.

Buying

Although peaches are available in many grocery stores from April through October, they are at their peak in July, August, and early September. If you live in a mild climate area, you can probably find peaches at the local Farmer’s Market. But if temperatures drop to 28 degrees F or less in your area, peaches won’t grow nearby.

Look for peaches with a golden yellow background (if the flesh is yellow) or a creamy yellow (if the flesh is white). The blushing quality of the skin is not an indicator of whether or not the fruit is ripe. When you gently squeeze the peach, it should give slightly, and when you smell the peach, it should have a sweet scent. Avoid any peaches with green peels surrounding the stem, or wrinkled skin.

Storing

Peaches are best kept on the counter until they reach preferred ripeness. Once ripe, store peaches in the refrigerator’s crisper bin for about 5 days.

Preparation

Before eating or cooking with peaches, gently rub the skin while holding the fruit under warm water.

If a recipe calls for chopping or slicing the fruit, understand that it will discolor unless you sprinkle it with lemon juice.

To peel peaches, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using a paring knife, carve an “X” on the bottom of each peach. Try to go through the skin of the peach only. Place the peaches in the boiling water; the liquid should cover the fruit completely. Ripe peaches are ready to be removed in 40 seconds. Not-quite-ripe peaches can sit a little longer. Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and place them directly in a sink or bowl filled with ice water. Let them cool for about a minute, then remove them and pat dry with a towel. Starting at the “X,” peel back each peach’s skin. It should easily slide off.

To remove the pit from peaches, use a knife to cut all the way around the diameter of the fruit. Make sure to cut deeply, down to the pit. Twist the peach halves in opposite directions. The pit will either fall out, or (if the fruit isn’t quite ripe) will stay attached to only one half of the peach. In the latter case, remove the pit with your fingers.

Cooking

Peaches are commonly used in desserts, from peaches and cream dishes to jam, from cobblers and pies to cakes. Peaches also make an excellent topping for ice cream and yogurt.

Peaches are especially sweet grilled. Select not quite ripe fruit and remove the pit. Grill one half at a time, or cut the peach into slices. Brush the cut edges of the peach with canola oil and cook over a medium fire until peaches are tender - but not falling to pieces. Serve grilled peaches in salads or by themselves.

Peaches also make great smoothies, additions to green or fruit salads, and sweet accompaniments to pork, poultry, and veal dishes.

Nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, red wine, rum, and sherry are flavorful additions to peaches.

Be sure to check out Gourmandia’s peach recipes on video for more ideas.