Fresh Peach Yogurt Soup w/ Pistachios & Candied Mint Leaves

We're nearing the end of summer. On the last Monday before Autumn, I found it only appropriate to prep a perfect summer dessert - peaches. This is a great chilled "soup" for lack of a better term. I really love this dish on the second day when the flavors have had a chance to mingle overnight. What's best about this dish is that it's seasonal, so you're forced to patiently wait for peaches all year. It makes it taste so much better once you can finally get your hands on some fresh peaches. Patience is delicious!

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. Peaches
3/4 C. White Wine
1/4 C. Honey
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 C. Yogurt, Plain
TT Pishtachios
TT Heavy Cream (optional)

First you'll want to pit and coarsely chop your peaches. Do not peel them! Keep the skin on! I like to throw the peaches in a hot saucepan and put a little bit of color on them, but you don't need to. You can simply toss your peach pieces into a pan with wine, honey, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes. I like to stir it every 10 minutes or so.

When the peaches are soft and the wine mixture has become slightly syrupy and foamy, you'll want to puree everything together. I like to use an immersion blender or stick mixer. Once everything is completely pureed, you'll want to strain your peach mixture. I really put a lot of effort into this step. It took me 20-30 minutes of constant stirring to completely strain my peach puree through a chinois. The amount of straining required is completely up to you.


When your mixture has been strained (or not), add your cinnamon, nutmeg, and yogurt and mix thoroughly. Again, I mix everything with the immersion blender. You can use the same food processor you used to puree if you like. (optional: Heavy cream takes on a slightly nutty flavor when reduced. If you'd like to dilute your peach mixture, you can use a bit of heavy cream added to your yogurt.) When your peach mixture is fully incorporated, set in the fridge to chill for a few hours if you're serving it that night or you can chill it overnight to serve the next day.

For garnish, I like to chop up some pistachios. Pulsing in a food processor works great for this. The green color of the nuts really goes well with the orange from the peach and yogurt puree. To candy your mint leaves, simply spray them with non-stick spray and dredge them through sugar. I also enjoy spooning a bit of heavy cream around the outside of the dish for presentation. A thinly sliced peach also looks pretty cool. I've done a bit of both below for you to see. Enjoy!