Incantato Bellini
Dear CSA Members,
This week in your box you will have a combo of O Henry’s (we’ll hear more about those later) and the divine and very short lived, Opal white peach. White peaches come and go in a flash and need to be eaten at just the right moment and for just the right purpose. In my opinion, Bellinis are what white peaches are created for.
White peaches, like other “white’ versions of stone fruit are lower in acid that their more pert cousins, giving them a more subtle flavor that gets lost when cooked or baked. They are wonderful eaten out of hand and sliced, but because of their low acidity, they oxidize rather quickly turning a rather unappealing brownish hue. But, when frozen, and mixed with ice cold prosecco and drunken out of a chilled glass, they are… “squisito”.
I’ll never forget the first time I had a Bellini, the real Bellini, at Harry’s Bar in Venice. It was November 2001, a cold, damp evening in just before it became necessary to raise the sidewalks as is tradition there in heavy rain and flooding. It was November after September 11th, and no one was traveling so we practically had the city to ourselves with the exception of a few European tourists. Harry’s Bar was smaller than I imagined and very cozy, at least it seemed so on that cold night. We had come there as part of our culinary education, to experience the famous Bellini. The small bar was being tended by a white jacked and black bow-tied bar tender. The servers wore the same, holding small silver trays dangling and white linen napkin, gliding through the small bar taking orders of the customers who sat in cushioned seats, side by side and facing the bar and each other. It was as if the tables were arranged for all to see and be seen. It was served without a lot of fanfare in a small 8 oz juice glass. It had the most delicate pink hue and it was more prosecco than peach, not very sweet and very fluid.It was everything it lived to be and Al and I tried to figure out what peaches they used and how they managed to get them year round. What really made an impression on me was not so much the flavor but the beautiful, delicate grayish pink color with tiny red flecks.
Later in our travels in Italy we were able to meet with the amazing, ex-pat, Italian food writer Faith Willinger. She told us that the puree used in the Bellini’s at Harry’s Bar were indeed, frozen white peaches of a certain variety grown and processed just for them. (By the way, I highly recommend her book “Eating in Italy” if you go. Her website
http://www.faithwillinger.com is full of great recipes and information and notes of her more recent travels around Italy.)
Every summer about this time, we start making Bellinis. (If we have time before dinner and we’re not too tired, Al will ask …”is tonight a Bellini night?”) We have put our own spin on it; using more peach puree that Arrigo Cipriani would approve of and sometimes even using yellow peaches. A purist would also not use a blender, as I do, they would grate the frozen peaches into the prosecco. They are delicious whether they are made with white or yellow peaches or even nectarines, but one thing is absolutely essential; everything must be ice cold. The peaches should be frozen, the prosecco, (yes, you can usechampagne but prosecco is fruitier and better for Bellinis) must be cold, almost slushy. You must serve them in glasses that are chilled or frozen. A lot of Bellini recipes call for sugar, lemon juice and some even a splash off peach schnapps. Some suggest using raspberries to create the pick color that should come from the red veins around the pit area. All you need are some ripe Opal peaches, about 2, peeled, sliced and frozen. Set some small high-ball glasses or juice glasses in the freezer and make sure that prosecco is ice cold. In a blender, add the frozen white peaches, a little prosecco to get it moving and puree the peaches thoroughly. Add more prosecco, tasting until you’ve added enough to your liking.
(The general rule is one part puree to three parts Prosecco.) Pour into your chilled glasses and serve immediately. When Opal’s are in, every night is Bellini night!
~ Chef Becky
