Summer Peach Compote with Lavender

These flavors are a killer combination. They're so intense and summery, you'll feel like you've been transported to the South of France. Besides the lavender and a touch of cinnamon, the secret ingredient here is salt. It really and truly makes the difference between a pleasant fruit dessert and an extraordinary burst of flavor.

The finished product is very versatile. You can serve it warm or cold. The fruit is sturdy enough to eat as a simple dessert with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some crumbled amaretto cookies. It's thick enough to use as a sort of jam on toast. Try it for breakfast on yogurt or oatmeal. If you need a dinner party dessert, make individual peach trifles in wine glasses by layering cubes of store-bought pound cake sprinkled with brandy, whipped cream, and the compote.

For an ice cream topping for 2-3 (just under a cup of compote) you will need:

• 3 RIPE Peaches. They should give when you press lightly with your thumb and smell intensely peachy. Most of the time when you buy them in the grocery store, they will be hard and need a couple of days sitting on your counter (NOT IN THE FRIDGE!) in a closed paper bag to ripen. Cut in half, remove pits, peel off skins, and cut each half into 4 slices.The riper the peaches, the easier the skins will pull right off. If you think you'll have trouble removing the skins, you can scald the whole peaches in hot water. Put them in a large bowl, pour in boiling water to cover, and let them sit for 30 seconds. Then run them under cold water. Now the skins will fall away under your knife. I prefer yellow peaches, I think they have a deeper peach flavor than white.
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried or fresh lavender buds. The buds should be blue, not brown. Check for mold and remove any leaves or stems. Make sure you are using culinary grade lavender that is grown organically. English lavender is a good choice. If you try using a strong smelling lavender variety that is meant for sachets and potpourri, your compote will taste harsh, bitter, and medicinal. There are many websites and herb stores that sell dried culinary lavender online. I found mine at the Union Square Greenmarket in NYC.

Directions:

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring the peaches, water, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom occasionally. Now add the lavender and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the peaches are soft and the sauce has reduced by 1/2 to 2/3. You want the sauce to be thick and syrupy. I add the lavender near the end of cooking because I want to preserve its blue color and brightness of flavor. Serve warm or keep in a jar in the fridge for a week or so. 

Note: If you prefer peaches that are firmer and less cooked, simply reduce the water by 1/3, reduce the cooking time to 10 or 15 minutes, and add the lavender in the last 5 minutes of cooking.