A couple of years ago I met then New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Charles Kuperus. He was a throw back to some of my professors (and classmates) when I was at Cook College (Rutgers College of Agriculture and Environmental Science); educated, articulate, smart and sill a farmer at heart; very down to earth. He was eating a luscious juicy peach, standing up, learning over a little so that it didn’t drip onto his shirt, thoroughly enjoying it like someone who completely grasps what it to takes to grow those yummy morsels of summer sweet goodness. When he was finished he stood up straight and proclaimed “a good peach is a leaner!” Yup, a good peach is nice and juicy (not dry and hard!) and those juices will dribble all over you if you don’t lean out and away. It’s gravity.
The occasion was a
New Jersey Peach Council kick off of peach season. Yes, New Jersey has a Peach Council, and, of course, The Frog and The Peach features peaches on the menu every summer. It’s a no brainer! It’s in our blood, our name and Jersey peaches are up there with Jersey tomatoes; too good to not have a place on the menu. Peaches are all over our menus! We’ve got sweet preparations. We’ve got savory ones.
The Annual “frog a la pêche” 5-Course Tasting Menu features peaches 5 times in 5 different items. Every year Chef Bruce Lefebvre manages to develop new preparations, (
and our guests who come back year after year tell us, “This is the best one yet!”) with the exception of our signature “Peach Carpaccio with Duck Confit.” This one is a keeper! Sometimes you find an item that is too good to tweak. This one is a perfect balance of sweet and salty, crisp and smooth, hot and cold, refreshing and rich, upscale and down to earth. It’s a palate pleaser…actually, it makes mine dance.
We love our Peach Carpaccio with Duck Confit so much we are sharing it with you. You can make it at home! The duck confit part is a production to make at home, it’s available in upscale grocery stores and I believe I even saw some at Costco recently. Here’s Chef Bruce Lefebvre’s recipe:
Peach Carpaccio with Duck Confit, Baby Arugula and Spiced Almonds
Serves 4
For the Salad
- 1 ½ cups shredded duck confit
- ¼ cup Prosecco vinaigrette, recipe below, or to taste
- 2 just-ripe peaches, peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup spiced almonds, recipe below, coarsely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the Duck Confit
Buy confit duck legs at Wegman’s or other upscale grocery store. (Contact me if you want a recipe.)
You will be taking the meat off the bone and shredding it somewhat. The rest of the direction is below in the section on assembling the salad.
For the Prosecco Vinaigrette
Extra vinaigrette with keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
Makes 4 cups
- 1 bottle Prosecco (reserve ½ cup for finishing)
- 2 small shallots, peeled and diced
- 1 pasteurized, organic egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 8 ice cubes
- 3 ½ cups grape seed, corn or canola oil
- Salt and white pepper to taste
Add the bottle (minus the ½ cup) Prosecco to a pot. Cook over a medium high heat, allowing the wine to gently boil until it is reduce by half to ¾ cup.
In a blender add the reduced Prosecco, shallots, yolk, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice and ice cubes. Blend on high speed, slowly pouring the oil into the blender until the dressing is emulsified.
When cool, taste and season with the salt, white pepper. Stir in the remaining ½ cup Prosecco.
For the Spiced Almonds
These spiced nuts will stay fresh for several weeks when stored in an airtight container. In addition to a garnish on the Carpaccio, they make a delicious and easy-to-serve cocktail snack.
Yield 1 pound
- 1 pounds peeled whole almonds
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 cups water
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, more if you want spicier
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the nuts in a large bowl and wash with cold running water. Cover the nuts with water and allow them to soak 10 minutes. Drain the nuts.
Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the nuts, gently blanching them in the simmering water for 10-15 minutes. Drain and rinse the nuts in cold water again.
In a medium pot over medium high heat, bring the sugar, honey and water to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the cayenne.
Stir the nuts into the syrup and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until no liquid is left. Add the corn oil and toss just to coat. Taste, and add more cayenne if desired.
Spread the nuts out evenly on a nonstick sheet pan and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 12 minutes.
Remove from the oven and with a fork separate the nuts while they are still warm.
The nuts will seem a little soft after cooking, but will harden as they cool.
To Assemble the Salad
Slice the peeled peaches lengthwise as thinly as possible into rounds.
Arrange the rounds in a circular pattern on 4 plates.
Add the oil to a sauté pan and heat until smoking. Add the duck Confit and cook until crisp, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.
Place the arugula in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the Prosecco vinaigrette and toss the greens until each leaf is lightly coated with the dressing.
Place a quarter of the arugula on top of the peaches on each plate. Equally divide the warm Confit over the greens.
Garnish with the spiced almonds and a drizzle of the vinaigrette.
And for when you don’t’ feel like cooking, The Peach Carpaccio is on all menus right now; Lunch, Dinner, Bar . When you are feeling really peachy, the frog al la pêche annual 5-Course Peach Tasting Menu is here until the end of peach season (very last September), $59 or with wine paired to each course $105. What could be sweet and juicier than the Peach Menu? How about the Peach Menu for 2, you and your sweetie pie, at a discount?! We do that every Friday, because it’s Date Night in New Brunswick (New Brunswick Rocks!), $60 off! The Peach Tasting with Wine for 2 for $150. That’s super peachy!
