What I was up to: A summertime beverage

A Bellini, of course!

Can you believe some people make these using peach schnapps?? That's just wrong.


One of the things that makes a proper Bellini, made with white peach puree, special is that you can only have one a couple months out of the year. I know . . . some people freeze their puree, but a Bellini just would not be the same in front of a roaring fire. I wait for after the first crop or so at my produce market so I can get peaches that are really ripe—the kind with a shelf life of about half a day.

I peel them using a vegetable peeler—you just need to the get the skin started and then it pretty much pulls away. Since my peaches were too ripe to slice, I squished them up up with my hands into my food mill. I've been using my food mill a lot lately while I wait for my new food processor and a part for my blender to arrive, and I've found it's better for applications like this since it removes the fibrous matter instead of just pulverizing it.

BELLINI

2 lb. very ripe white peaches
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
lemon juice to taste
1 bottle of Prosecco, chilled (or other dry sparkling wine)

Peel peaches and run through a food mill or food processor. Add sugar and lemon juice to taste. Stir to dissolve sugar. Chill.

Add two tablespoons of peach puree to a flute. Fill remainder of glass with Prosecco. Stir gently and serve.

Although very pretty on its own, a sprig of mint or a few raspberries makes a nice garnish. And sparkling water with the puree makes a nice kids' drink. Of course kids always need a garnish on their drink.

Happy summer.