Sometimes the simplest things are the best. Tonight we had a dessert of peaches macerated in red wine. When peaches are at their height of flavor as they are now, this dish can be sublime.
You cut peaches into wedges, then sprinkle them with sugar (about a spoonful per peach) and the juice of half a lemon. Mix gently—ripe peaches are quite delicate—and allow the peaches to macerate for about 15 minutes or so, or until the sugar has dissolved. Add enough red wine just to barely cover the peaches and allow them to macerate for a further 30 minutes or more. The longer they macerate in the wine, the more potent the wine taste will be. Too long a maceration and the taste of the wine will come to dominate. I find that 30-60 minutes or so provides the right balance between wine and peach, but this is a matter of taste.
NOTES: A more complex variation on this simple dish calls for mulling the wine with sugar and a cinnamon stick before adding it to the peaches. Similarly, some recipes call for some cloves (chiodi di garofano) to be added to the wine marinade. You can also use honey instead of sugar. For a lighter, brighter version, you can use white wine instead of red.
To peel or not to peel? I rather prefer to leave peaches unpeeled. Indeed, there is an old saying in Italian:
Pela il fico all’amico e la pesca al nemico.
which means, "peel figs for your friend, but peel peaches for your enemy". You see, it was said that the peel of the fig was unhealthy, but that of the peach aided the digestion. These days, many people maintain that the peach peel is also unhealthy, as it retains traces of the insecticides and whatever other chemicals are used in their cultivation. Let your own taste by your guide.
Of course, other fruits lend themselves very well to this general treatment. (For details, see post on macedonia di frutta.)
