We love peaches, but it's hard to find good ones in Honolulu. Over the years, produce shipping from California to Hawaii has improved, and now peaches taste better--the ones I bought a few days ago are juicy and sweet. For a long time, though, the only "peach" in our apartment was a kokeshi doll given to me when I was a child. The figure is of Momotaro, the boy who emerged from a giant peach in the classic Japanese folktale. I still have the
doll. But five years ago, during a summer spent in Washington, DC, we found
peach heaven.
That summer everywhere we looked we saw fresh peaches--at Eastern Market on weekends, in street-trader's carts along Smithsonian Mall, at Metro fruit-and-flower stands. Things got even better when we visited friends in a tiny harbor town in rural Virginia, where we met a peach farmer and his wife, who invited us to their sailboat for glasses of cold white wine poured over sliced peaches. Returning to DC, tired, but with a box of peaches in hand and a few eggs in the refrigerator, I made peach omelets for supper. A few weeks later, when my brother, his wife, and their youngest son visited us, I made them for breakfast.
Coming home to Honolulu, seeing Momotaro perched on a shelf, I thought of those omelets. Here I make them with fresh peaches when I can, or with frozen peaches or fresh mangoes. It's hard to go wrong. The omelets are almost always delicious, though perhaps not quite as delicious as the ones in DC.
For two generous servings, you need 5 eggs; 2 or 3 peeled, sliced peaches; 1 to 2 tablespoons butter (or mix half butter and half olive oil); and 1/2 cup coarsely grated mild cheese, such as Havarti or manchego. Cook the sliced peaches in a pan with a tablespoon of the butter until soft, but not mushy. Set aside. Beat the eggs in a bowl until frothy. Melt remaining butter (or oil) in a wide skillet on medium heat. Add the beaten eggs, stir lightly once or twice, then use a spatula to lift up the edges of the eggs, allowing them to run to the sides of the pan and cook. When the bottom of the eggs is fairly well set, place the warm peaches along one side of the eggs, sprinkle the cheese over all, cover the pan, turn off the heat, and let the eggs sit for one minute. Then, uncover the pan, fold the eggs in half over the peaches to form the omelet, and serve.
Here are the ingredients:
The eggs in the pan with the peaches and cheese on top:
The omelet folded:
And alongside salad and bread:
That summer everywhere we looked we saw fresh peaches--at Eastern Market on weekends, in street-trader's carts along Smithsonian Mall, at Metro fruit-and-flower stands. Things got even better when we visited friends in a tiny harbor town in rural Virginia, where we met a peach farmer and his wife, who invited us to their sailboat for glasses of cold white wine poured over sliced peaches. Returning to DC, tired, but with a box of peaches in hand and a few eggs in the refrigerator, I made peach omelets for supper. A few weeks later, when my brother, his wife, and their youngest son visited us, I made them for breakfast.
Coming home to Honolulu, seeing Momotaro perched on a shelf, I thought of those omelets. Here I make them with fresh peaches when I can, or with frozen peaches or fresh mangoes. It's hard to go wrong. The omelets are almost always delicious, though perhaps not quite as delicious as the ones in DC.
For two generous servings, you need 5 eggs; 2 or 3 peeled, sliced peaches; 1 to 2 tablespoons butter (or mix half butter and half olive oil); and 1/2 cup coarsely grated mild cheese, such as Havarti or manchego. Cook the sliced peaches in a pan with a tablespoon of the butter until soft, but not mushy. Set aside. Beat the eggs in a bowl until frothy. Melt remaining butter (or oil) in a wide skillet on medium heat. Add the beaten eggs, stir lightly once or twice, then use a spatula to lift up the edges of the eggs, allowing them to run to the sides of the pan and cook. When the bottom of the eggs is fairly well set, place the warm peaches along one side of the eggs, sprinkle the cheese over all, cover the pan, turn off the heat, and let the eggs sit for one minute. Then, uncover the pan, fold the eggs in half over the peaches to form the omelet, and serve.
Here are the ingredients:
The eggs in the pan with the peaches and cheese on top:
The omelet folded:
And alongside salad and bread:
Ooh, yummy!!! I've never had peach omelets--but I agree with you that the peaches were extra sweet this summer!!
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