Cook My Mailbox Weekend III

The nice thing about magazines?
They're portable.
As in, you can take them on planes when you fly to Seattle to eat, so you can read about food on the way.
[Note to self: Get help.]

But then, you see these* at the market.

[Note to self: You are a frigging psychic genius.]


Sugar Roasted Peaches
When I turned the page and saw the photos in this month's Fine Cooking magazine, I think the person next to me was tempted to ring the flight attendant call button for help**. These could not have been more suited to my weekend of total culinary indulgence.

You see, they're roasted in bacon fat***.

3 slices thick-cut smoked bacon

several ripe peaches

a few teaspoons of raw sugar

a pinch or two of kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

fresh rosemary sprig

Preheat oven to 450.

In a large cast iron skillet, cook bacon over medium high heat until just crisp, about 5-8 minutes. Remove the bacon and most of the fat, leaving a thin layer in the hot pan.  You'll need 4 teaspoons of that reserved bacon fat. If you are short for some reason, you can add olive oil until you have enough.

While the bacon is cooking, slice peaches in half and remove pits.

Sprinkle the raw sugar over the cut sides, then add a little salt and pepper.

Place the peaches, cut side down, into the pan. Tear the bacon strips in half, then tuck them around the peaches, along with the rosemary. Drizzle peaches with 2 tsp. of the bacon fat. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes.

When the bottoms of the peaches have started to caramelize, sprinkle the tops (uncut sides) with a tiny bit of salt, and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast for 10 minutes.

Flip peaches over so the cut sides are up. Drizzle with remaining bacon fat, and return to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until they are completely tender.

The recipe says you can discard the bacon, or eat it as a cook's treat.  I say that stuff is unreal and you should inhale it.

Add ice cream and a little buckwheat honey. Swoon.

Go here to print this recipe.

* Aptly named. Unlike my crap peaches at home, these are spectacular. You involuntarily say "Oh my God" when you take a bite, I kid you not. The guy was giving out samples and it happened every time.
** I may have hyperventilated a little, but I told him not to worry, it was just a particularly funny part in 21 Jump Street.
*** I'm bending my own Cook My Mailbox rules by giving you the recipe, because there are a several killer ideas for how to use these peaches for you to explore in the magazine.  Pork chops with sugar roasted peaches, fennel and cheddar grits anyone?