Peaches in Red Wine Make Bachelorette Watch Parties Fun

A Fresh Focus

I don’t watch much television. It’s probably because my frugal self has never seen it necessary in my adult life to spend money on a TV or cable bill.

That’s the kind of thing that you buy when you have an excess of disposable income and that’s not really where I’m at right now in life. However, when I moved in with my most recent roommate, she had a television and a cable subscription, so I started to watch TV once a week.

Join us at the City of Manassas Farmers Market Thursdays at the Harris Pavilion and Saturdays in Parking Lot B (corner of West and Prince William Streets) from 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Since I’d pretty much cut it out of my life, it’s hard for me to sit down and watch a complete show without getting antsy to go for a walk or perform some other physical activity.   There is one show that I watch on a consistent basis (please, refrain from judgment): The Bachelorette. 

I’ll admit it’s a terrible show; but, I find it to be extremely entertaining and excellent for poking fun.  Leyla and I make the weekly “Bachelorette watch” into an event. We alternate who cooks dinner, we get a bottle of wine and we allow ourselves to indulge in a treat of some sort for dessert. It’s really a nice ritual, especially for the first day of the week. 

This week, since peaches are in season, I decided to keep it simple with this recipe from the New York Times. It’s an elegant looking mixture of wine, spices, peaches, and blackberries. I picked up peaches and blackberries from the market last Saturday in preparation. Truly, there was not much active work required for this treat.

Apart from peeling some peaches and stirring a few ingredients together, it was quite simple. I let the wine mixture and peaches chill before serving them—the treat finally made its appearance during the rose ceremony.  SPOILER ALERT: Poor Zak W. was dumped this week. I bet some peaches would have assuaged his heartbreak.  I’ll admit, it sort of tastes like it sounds. Nothing particularly magical: peaches in sweet red wine.   

I’m more of an ice cream or chocolate girl when it comes to my sweet tooth, but this was a light and refreshing change.  I made a few slight changes to the original; my version of the recipe is below.  

Also, you’ll note in my photos, that I forgot to put the blackberries that I purchased into my mixture. If you would like to make something  light, refreshing, and uncomplicated, I would certainly recommend this recipe. You can find delicious fruit at this week’s market. 

Our markets are open on Thursday and Saturday, and starting next week, we are launching a THIRD market!  Check us on Tuesdays in Lot F (on the corner of Prince William St. and Main St.) from 4 – 7  p.m. If you want to find out more on the new market, check out our website.

Peaches in Red Wine  

Ingredients:

2 cups medium-bodied dry red wine.  I used Cabernet Sauvignon because it was on sale.

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 lemon rind of grated lemon zest

Pinch ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

4 large ripe peaches or nectarines

1/4 cup blackberries, for garnish (optional)

 Instructions:

1. Put wine in a glass or stainless-steel bowl. Add sugar and stir to dissolve, then add lemon zest, nutmeg, ginger and black pepper. Chill well.

2. Peel peaches and cut into 1/2-inch wedges. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.

3. To serve, pour  1/2 cup chilled wine mixture into 4 to 6 wide-mouthed wineglasses. Add sliced peaches to each glass, dividing them evenly. Garnish each portion with a few blackberries, if desired.

YIELD 4 servings