Food and Flowers: August Peaches Breakfast

FOOD & FLOWERS

A MONTHLY FEATURE SHOWCASING SEASONAL FLOWERS AND PRODUCE AS WE FIND THEM (TOTALLY IMPROMPTU) GROWING AT HOPE FLOWER FARM AND AT FARMERS MARKETS IN VIRGINIA. FOOD IN FLOWERS AND EDIBLE FLOWERS IN FOOD WITH FORAL DESIGNER HOLLY CHAPPLE AND... US! 

When it comes to late summer produce in Virginia, peaches always come to mind. Since we haven't focused on Virginia fruit since our strawberry schaum torte in May, we thought we would give you peaches two ways for a breakfast. 

 In the first recipe for a peach tahini ricotta toast, we used our recent Copenhagen trip for inspiration. We had a blueberry ricotta toast at Apollo Bar that was so simple but beautiful with focused blueberry flavor. To turn it a bit savory, we whipped the ricotta with the tahini, but also topped it with black sesame seeds and pea shoots before drizzling it with olive oil. Peaches are so sweet on their own, pairing it with savory elements adds a nice balance to breakfast. This combination is also going to keep you super full and satisfied. 

For the second recipe we went to waffles. I didn't have whole wheat pastry flour on hand (at 7 AM when we made these...I mean, I showed up to shoot this at the farm without even brushing my hair) to make our favorite yeast whole wheat waffles, but I highly recommend making a batch of those to pair with these toppings. This is using a standard buttermilk waffle recipe. But again, make the yeast waffles and keep them in the freezer for times like this. I'll add the recipe for those waffles in this post. For toppings we paired peaches with figs. Figs are gorgeous, but they add a lot of seedy texture to a fruit blend. They also have an incredibly distinctive flavor that I can only think to describe in a perfume way...as a more mellow tone to layer with top note peach fruitiness. For crunch the waffles are topped with almonds. Lastly we added honeycomb and salvia flowers. For alternative edible flowers violets would be a great pairing or borage (since we actually did top the waffle with some black pepper again....just like the other waffle recipe.)

See the video for food and flowers in August. 

For flowers, Holly worked a lot with her remaining dahlias from the farm's garden to pair with peach branches. Speaking from a total non-florist point of view, I love when branches and more structural items get mixed with fluffy, flowing vines and flowers. 

Buttermilk Waffles with Peaches, Figs and Honeycomb

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The perfect item to keep in your freezer to pair with seasonal fruit

makes 4 large waffles: Waffles adapted from Chef Steps

/// Ingredients ///

Waffles

• 350 g whole wheat pastry flour
• 7 grams active dry yeast
• 5 grams sugar
• 3.5 grams salt
• 2 grams baking soda
• 620 grams whole milk
• 115 grams butter (super close to 1, 4 oz stick)
• 100 grams egg (about 2 extra large, or 2.5 large)

Toppings for each waffle

• 1/4 cup cubed peaches
• 2 whole figs, halved
• a few pieces of honeycomb
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• black pepper
• salvia flower (violet, borage or other edible flowers are a good substitution) 
• whipped cream (heavy whipping cream + powdered sugar with a whisk attachment)

/// Directions /// Sift pastry flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda together in a large bowl. In a small pan on the stove melt butter and add whole milk. Bring to 104 F (this is our favorite thermometer) and do not let it get above 113 F. If your temperature starts to get too high, remove the pan from the burner to cool. Once the butter is melted and the milk is at the appropriate temperature, whisk in eggs. Pour into the well of dry ingredients and whisk together. Once ingredients are combined allow mix to sit between 10 minutes-2 hours for yeast to bloom. The longer you let it sit, the yeast-ier the waffles will taste and the more air pockets they will have. We let our mix sit 30 minutes.

Follow the directions to use your waffle maker to cook waffles. We find that the first waffle is usually a bust, or at best, the least pretty of the batch. 

Peach Tahini Ricotta Toast

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a satisfying savory and sweet breakfast toast

Serves 2

/// Ingredients ///

• 2 hearty, whole grain slices of bread, toasted
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 Tablespoons tahini
• 1 T skim milk (as needed to loosen mix for piping)
• 1 peach, sliced
• 1/4 cup pea shoots
• 1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• *note* if you desire a sweeter toast, drizzle with honey

/// Directions /// Toast bread. To prepare tahini ricotta, add ricotta and tahini to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add 1 tablespoon of milk as needed to get consistency to be pipe-able. Spoon mix into piping bag with a large round tip (or cut the corner of a piping bag). Zig-zag ricotta onto toast. Top with a line of sliced peaches. Add a pinch of pea shoots, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Beyond their beauty, peaches are a good source of fiber, vitamin A and vitamin C.  Fiber we already know is great for keeping you full. Vitamin A is good for your immune system and your vision, but what you might not know is because it's a fat soluble vitamin it should be paired with fat for absorption. Hence: peaches plus ricotta and olive oil.

Good looking, good for you.