All the Ways You Can Use Peaches Like Tomatoes
If I gave you a peach and told you it was, in fact, a tomato, you would look at me with concern. and you would be wrong to do so. No, these two fruits don’t taste all that similar: the peach is sweet and “fruity” in the classic sense, while the tomato is noticeably tangy and loaded with savory glutamates, which is why many of us think of it as a vegetable. However, a peach can be used like a tomato, whether in a sandwich, salad, salsa, or even pasta sauce.
Make BLP instead of BLT
Fruit and salted meats are a tried-and-true, winning pair (think prosciutto with molon), and substituting a standard tomato for a juicy peach makes for a sweeter yet equally satisfying summer sandwich . Make a sandwich as usual, including mayonnaise, layering peach slices instead of tomatoes. If your peach is very sweet and lacks the acidity that its red relative brings, toss the salad with a little champagne vinegar to make it spicier.
The best mayonnaise for your BLPs, BLTs, and any other sandwiches you’re making this summer:
- Kupie Custard
- Tanguy Duke
- Classic Hellmann
Make fruit salsa
This fruity corn salsa calls for strawberries and watermelon, but you can substitute one (or both) with peaches. The sweet and slightly tart fruit pairs beautifully with hot chili peppers and herbs, offering a soft textural contrast to crispy fresh corn. Place it on crispy tortilla chips for a delicious bite.
Make Peach Caprese Salad
Stone fruits of all kinds, including peaches, plums, pluots, and nectarines, can slide between slices of fresh motz and basil leaves like tomatoes. The result is a classic caprese that’s sweeter and fruitier, and that’s it. While balsamic balm isn’t essential in a caprese made with really good tomatoes, it’s essential here, as you need that kick of acid to balance the sweetness and keep the salad from getting cloying.
Prepare Fruit Pasta Sauce
This recipe , inspired by Smitten Kitchen Zucchini Butter Paste , is one of my new favorites. Made with peaches, brown butter and red pepper flakes, it tastes like a summer vacation pumpkin nut. Like Smitten Kitchen pasta, this pasta is way better than the sum of its parts would suggest; unlike the more fussy Smitten Kitchen pasta, it takes about 15 minutes to make.