Setting up Your Work Station
Fill a pot three-quarters full of water and bring it to a boil. Place a pot that's at least 3 quarts (2.8 liters) in size on the stove. Pour in enough water to come three-quarters up the sides of the pot and turn the burner on to high. The water should come to a vigorous boil. If you want to blanch a lot of peaches, consider using a larger pot.
Place a bowl of ice water next to the stove. Fill a large bowl with ice and then pour in enough cold water to come three-quarters up the side of the bowl. Set the bowl of ice water on the counter right next to the pot of boiling water. It's important to leave some space in the bowl since the peaches will displace water.
Place a cutting board or dish next to the ice water. You'll also need to set a cutting board, slotted spoon, and knife on your work surface. To prevent the cutting board from sliding around, lay a kitchen towel under the board. Since blanching peaches is such a quick process, it helps to have all of your equipment ready and next to each other.
Putting the Peaches in Boiling Water
Select ripe peaches. If you're using peaches that are completely hard, they won't blanch easily. Instead, look for peaches that are a little soft when you press them. They should also smell fragrant if they're ripe. If you want to peel hard peaches, use a Y peeler to remove the skin.
Cut a shallow X on the bottom of each peach. Take a sharp knife and cut an X that's about 2 in (5 cm) long on each peach. You don't need to cut deeply into the peaches. Instead, score shallow lines. Scoring the peaches will make it easier to remove the peel once you've blanched them.
Put 4 peaches into the boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. Carefully lower about 4 peaches into the boiling water. The peaches should be submerged, although you may need to take a slotted spoon and turn the peaches a little. Leave the peaches in the boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. If the peaches are on the riper side, use less time. If they're a little firm still, keep them in for 60 seconds. Avoid leaving the peaches in the boiling water for several minutes or you'll overcook them.
Cooling and Peeling the Peaches
Transfer the peaches to the ice bath. After 30 to 60 seconds in the boiling water, use a slotted spoon to scoop up the peaches. Immediately put them right into the ice water that's next to the stove. Move quickly to get the peaches into the ice water. The ice water will shock the peaches and stop them from cooking.
Leave the peaches in the ice bath for 10 seconds. If the peaches aren't completely submerged in the ice water, use the slotted spoon to roll the peaches a little. Keep them in the ice water until the skins have cooled.
Remove the peaches and pull off the skins. Use the slotted spoon to lift the peaches out of the ice water and set them on the cutting board next to your bowl. Locate the X on the bottom of each peach and use your fingers to pull off the skins. If the peel resists, you can use the knife to pull up an edge of the skin.
Cut the peaches and remove the pits. Slice each of the peeled peaches in half and pull out the pit, if you used freestone peaches. If you used clingstone peaches, you'll have to cut the peach flesh away from the pit. Now you're ready to blanch another batch of peaches and use your peeled peaches. Use caution when cutting the peeled peaches since they'll be slippery.
Use or freeze the blanched peaches. If you plan on freezing the peaches, slice them and freeze them individually on a sheet. Once they're frozen hard, transfer them to an airtight storage container and put it in the freezer. Freeze the peaches for up to 12 months. If you don't freeze the peaches on a sheet, they'll clump together when you freeze them. This can make it difficult to use them in a recipe.
Comments
0 comment