Cream of Peach with a Hint of Lemon

ARGENTINA & MY SWEET TOOTH

***

Moving to Argentina changed my tastebuds and my culinary preferences.

It was being here in Buenos Aires that cultivated my sweet tooth – here in the land of Dulce de Leche, where nothing is ever considered too sweet or too dessert-ish.

Even today, while I’m not considered to have a very sweet tooth compared to the average Argentine, it’s safe to say that I have sufficiently progressed from not craving anything sweet (such as ice cream or cakes, except for the occasional Singaporean dessert or the finer Tiramisu), to actually feeling the need for something sweet to round up a meal, just so.

But still, while I’ve given in and have allowed myself sweet treats and desserts, I still prefer desserts that have a hint of fruitiness in them; such as lemon sobert, passionfruit cheesecake, or lemon cream biscuits.

There’s something absolutely alluring about the taste of fruits; something that reminds me of summer and tropical weather; of a paradise island in the middle of the ocean, whose perfect blue canvas sky is interrupted by the occasional cotton-candy cloud.

Naturally, when my cooking professor Pelusa Molina showed us how to make an exquisite dessert which involved peaches, lemons and cream, it was almost impossible for me to resist making it back home.

It’s that sort of dessert which leaves you wanting more; in part due to the cirtrus taste of lemon juice, in part due to the creamy texture that is both soft and still has a body at the same time.

Once made and chilled, it can be kept for up to a week, and is lovely served in pretty glass cups for house guests.

Adorned with chocolate shavings that give a touch of cocoa:

This is one dessert that’s definitely great to impress your friends..

CREAM OF PEACH WITH A HINT OF LEMON (Serves 4)
Inspired by Pelusa Molina’s recipe

Ingredients:

1) 250g of dried peaches, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
2) 1 lemon (for the juice)
3) 2 egg whites
4) 200g of whipping cream
5) 100g of sugar
6) 50g of chocolate bar, in shavings

Steps:

1) Soak the dried peaches in water for at least 2 hours
2) In a medium-sized pot, put the soaked peaches and enough water to cover the peaches entirely
3) Cook over low heat for at least an hour, or until the peaches are bloated and fat from absorbing the water
4) Process cooked peaches until you get a homogeneous puree, and mix in lemon juice with peach puree
5) Whip the cream until it thickens but not too much
6) Beat the egg whites until they turn white, then add in sugar and continue beating until they form peaks
7) Add the egg whites to pureed peaches, folding the egg whites with the puree
8) Add in whipped cream and fold into the mixture until you achieve a homogenous cream
9) Using a vegetable peeler, scrape the chocolate bar into think shavings
10) Serve cream chilled and topped with chocolate shavings

In a medium-sized pot, put the soaked peaches and enough water to cover the peaches entirely:

Cook over low heat for at least an hour, or until the peaches are bloated and fat from absorbing the water:

Process cooked peaches:

Until you get a homogeneous puree and mix puree with lemon juice:

Add the egg whites to pureed peaches, folding the egg whites with the puree:

Add in whipped cream and fold into the mixture:

Until you achieve a homogenous cream:

Using a vegetable peeler, scrape the chocolate bar into think shavings:

Serve cream chilled and topped with chocolate shavings: