On a recent trip to Philly I stopped into Produce Junction and couldn't resist grabbing some more summer bounty for a ridiculous price. I grabbed MORE peaches along with some jalapeños, tomatoes and cukes for another post.  I wanted to attempt peach salsa. It seems pretty similar to the items I throw into my peach soup with the exception that I dunk it into a hot water bath to kill off potential botulism spores. In the end it ended up a little bit spicier than I expected but I LOVE IT! It only made 3 jars so I need to hunt down more peaches which shouldn't be an issue around here.  

Since I had a few extra peaches I tried a new recipes that is apparently a big hit in the south. Pickled Peaches. I know it sounds kinda gross but I love pickles and I love peaches. Why not put the 2 together. Pickled fruit was a popular treat 75 years ago, hanging out in people's pantries. Marisa McClellan from Food in Jars did a little article about the history of pickled fruit and offers a recipe for pickled nectarines (next on my list to make) 
I strayed a little from the recipe. I have learned that there are some things you can tweak in canning recipes without killing yourself, friends or family. You can add/omit whatever dried spices you want. You can also add more acid and in some cases cut back on sugar. Most of the recipes I saw spiced their peaches with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, etc. Gross. I cut all of that out and added red pepper flakes. I also cut back a little bit on the sugar and increased my vinegar. I wanted more of a pucker and less of sugary syrup. I did have a little bit of fruit float but these bad boys are going to taste so good on top of salad, pork chops, ice cream and so much more. I only got 2 jars out of this recipe. I need to start growing my own peach orchard to supply myself with all the goodies I want to make. 

Pickled Peaches
PICKLED NECTARINES
RecipeYIELD:3 pint jars
ACTIVE TIME:45 minutes
TOTAL TIME:48 hoursS
PECIAL EQUIPMENT:3 pint sized mason jars, canning pot (optional)
THIS RECIPE APPEARS IN:In a Pickle: Pickled Nectarine Slices
Ingredients

• 6 nectarines (approximately 2 1/2 pounds) I swapped peaches in for nectarines
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 3/4 granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons pickling salt
• 3 star anise (I left out)
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into thirds (I left out)
• 1 bay leaf, broken into thirds (I left out)
• 3/4 teaspoon black peppercorns, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, divided

Procedures
If using, prepare a boiling water bath canner and place three lids in a small saucepan at a bare simmer.

1. Prepare three regular mouth jars.
   
   
2. 3 Wash nectarines and slice into 12 wedges per piece of fruit.
   
   
3. Combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups water, 3/4 cup granulated white sugar and 2 teaspoons pickling salt.
   
4. As the brine comes to a boil, divide the spices evenly between the three jars.
   Once brine is boiling, add fruit to the pot.
5. Stir to help settle the fruit into the brine.
   
6. Once the fruit has relaxed into the brine and the brine is boiling, remove pot from heat.
   
7. Carefully ladle the fruit into the jars, using a wooden chopstick to help the nectarine slices settle into place.
   
8. Pour brine over fruit to cover.
9. Tap jars gently to help dislodge any air bubbles that may be trapped between the nectarine slices. Use your wooden chopstick to finish the job.
10. Wipe rims and apply lids and rings.
11. If processing for shelf stability, carefully lower jars into boiling water bath and process for 10 minutes.
12. When time is up, remove jars from canner and let cool.
13. Once processed jars are cool, remove rings, check seals and wash jars to remove any stickiness.
    
14. Unprocessed jars should also be washed once cool and then stored in the refrigerator.
    
15. Pickled nectarines can be eaten as soon as cooled, though for best flavor, allow them to sit in their brine for at least 48 hours before eating.

Peach Salsa
From Canning Granny


½ cup white vinegar

6 cups chopped pitted and peeled peaches

1-1/4 cups chopped onion

4 jalapeño peppers, seeded (if desired) and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

½ cup loosely packed finely chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp. liquid honey (I left this out)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped (I added 4 cloves garlic)

1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. cayenne pepper
** I also had a lime lying around and added that to the mix**



In a large, stainless steel saucepan, combine vinegar and peaches. Add onion, jalapeño peppers, red pepper, cilantro, honey, garlic, cumin, and cayenne. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving a half inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding more salsa. Wip rim. Tighten hot lids onto jars to fingertip tightness.

Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Cool and let seal.

I've never really cared for traditional breakfast food until recently. I was always more interested eating real food for breakfast. Cold pizza, sandwiches, leftovers. Essentially anything that was savory. I don't have much of a sweet tooth (probably because I'm so naturally sweet...lol) As I was looking for inspiration for breakfast this morning I was still thinking of the PBS series Mind of a Chef  that I have been binge watching on Netflix. The first season follows Chef David Chang of the popular restaurant Momofuku. I didn't even know who this guy was before I started watching the series and now I'm obsessed with him. Common thread in my life. I also was binge watching New Girl and hope to emulate Jessica Day/Zoe Dechannel (spelling?) in any way I can. Well, the whole series covers a variety of food topics and recipes that look mouth watering. I now can't wait to go to Japan and eat my weight in Ramen. Until I can afford that massive trip I might have to settle for NYC where I can go to David Chang's Noodle Bar. They base a whole episode on eggs. I mean how may ways can you make an egg? Scrambled, fried, poached, boiled... done right? NO WAY! There are crazy chefs out there doing some sort of science/voodoo magic on these eggs. I would highly recommend watching the show, or better yet the whole season. 

Back to my breakfast inspiration. On a lot of the dishes that David Chang makes at the noodle bar he tops them with a soft cooked egg. I have on occasion accidentally made soft cooked eggs in an attempt to make hard boiled eggs. You would think that hard boiled eggs were the easiest thing to make especially for a beginning cook. Not for me. I have a handwritten note in my recipe file from Mom on how to hard boil eggs. I thought I was the only one but then discovered my best friend Kat tried her first attempt at making hardboiled eggs this summer. I told her how easy it was and gave her really loose directions (she doesn't really care to cook) 45 mins later she still had raw eggs in the pan. I was like "What the heck did you do?" I think we discovered she kept the water on low the whole time instead of bringing it to a boil first.  Hahahahaha. Lesson learned. 

Well I decided to make some soft cooked eggs David Chang style (In fact they have been around forever but he inspired me to take a stab at it.) I happen to be one of those people who is GAGA for goopy eggs. It's liquid gold. These eggs were wicked easy to make and I put them on top of a "Breakfast Salad" that I made this morning. It's becoming my new favorite breakfast. Veggies, protein, hot sauce. What's not to love? You don't need to eat salad at only lunch and dinner. Don't people eat breakfast for dinner? BREAK OUT OF THE MOLD! Don't be a sheep. BAAAA. LoL.



Soft Cooked Eggs

I only make 2 at a time. You could try doing it in a big batch, may not turn out though. 

Bring a pot of water to a simmer.
Add you eggs to water (still in shell)
Set the timer for 6 minutes
Remove egg and submerge in cold water (I just run it under the faucet)
ENJOY!!!!