When it comes to summertime rites of passage, eating a sun-ripened peach, juice dripping down to your elbow, ranks among the best! Happily, beyond leaning over the sink to eat the fan-favorite fruit on its own, there are plenty of other ways to integrate this sweet and floral seasonal gem into your everyday mealtime routine. Peach and rice recipes marry the beauty of the year’s best peaches with the ease and delicate flavor of Success® Rice products. Recipes that integrate peaches into the appetizer and main course, as well as dessert, these ideas are unique, delectable and simple enough to try any day of the week!
When it comes to fresh produce, summertime is the most generous season. Spoiled by the season’s abundance of fruit and vegetables, it’s easy to make meals that feature an array of colors and bold flavors, with very little extra effort. Aromatic and sweet, with a delicate whisper of tartness, peaches can be used in myriad interesting ways. Added to salads or sides, desserts, or alongside grilled proteins, they instantly take recipes from dull to dramatic. Best of all? When they’re at their peak, they’re irresistible grilled, sautéed or served raw, simply sliced onto a plate!
Paired with Success® Rice — jasmine, basmati, white or brown — peaches can be transformed into a stunning starter, a 20-minute main, or a showstopping dessert. No mess, no measure, simple to make and perfectly fluffy and delicious every time, Success® Rice gives cooks the confidence to try new things. So load up on one of summer’s most coveted crops, and get in the kitchen!
Crispy Rice Cakes with Peach and Prosciutto
A heading-turning first course, or light lunch, this dish combines the season’s juiciest stone fruit with the surprising crunch of lightly pan-fried Success® boil-in-bag basmati rice cakes. Meltingly-thin slices of prosciutto, zingy balsamic glaze and the bright aroma of fresh basil complete this simple — yet stunning! — recipe.
Jalapeño Peach Chicken
Paired with the subtly spicy hum of fresh jalapeño peppers, sautéed peaches, chicken and aromatic jasmine rice become the weeknight meal you didn’t know you were missing! Saucy and surprising, this dish is elegant, quick to make, and an easy way to inject ho-hum weeknights with a little pizzazz.
Grilled Peach and Prosciutto Rice Pilaf
Step aside uninspired casseroles and mediocre pasta salads — this dish is every summertime potluck’s new best friend! Dotted with caramelized bites of grilled peach, salty pops of prosciutto, buttery pine nuts and a zesty Dijon vinaigrette, this is the dish that’s sure to disappear first at each and every one of the season’s get-togethers.
Ginger Peach Rice Pudding
Homey and comforting, this peach and Success® boil-in-bag brown rice pudding is packed with plenty of vitamin C and whole grains. Delicious year-round, this creamy recipe is at its best when its crowded with fragrant, peak summertime fruit.
Peach Sticky Rice
Generally made with succulent strips of golden mango, sticky rice is equally divine paired with juicy slices of ripe peach. A hot-weather winner inspired by Thailand, this jasmine rice dessert is rich with coconut and fragrant fruit, and comes together in just 25 minutes.
How to Enhance the Flavor of Peach and Rice Dishes
Peaches and rice are a natural, if somewhat unexpected, kitchen pairing. Sweet and delicate, tender and velvety, this delicious combo can be taken in any direction you desire! Learn how to make the most of this natural pairing with these tips.
- When they’re at their peak — from late May to early August, depending on the area — peaches are naturally sweet, fragrant and tart, with a tender, creamy texture that’s never mushy or too hard. Still, even perfect peaches can benefit from a little bit of this or a little bit of that! Try a spritz of lemon or lime juice, a sprinkle of ginger or cinnamon, a dash of sugar or a hit of spice, from cayenne, black pepper or chili peppers. These pairings can help bring out and balance the fruit’s natural sweetness.
- When looking for foods that pair well with peaches, you never have to look far! Peaches are a natural companion to a variety of ingredients. They pair very well with soft, mild cheeses, such as burrata, goat cheese, cottage cheese and ricotta.
- On the flip side, they also pair beautifully with savory ingredients, such as feta cheese, blue cheese and spicy cured meats.
- Either raw, grilled or sautéed, peaches are also great with pork, chicken and barbecued salmon.
- Other fruits, including berries, melon, pineapple and mango, can be combined with peaches to make colorful fruit salads or toppings for desserts or breakfast rice bowls.
- Also at their best during summertime, herbs can be mixed with peaches in many types of dishes, such as rice salads, dessert soups and appetizers. Try basil, tarragon and thyme.
- Of course, peaches also shine in desserts! Try them raw or macerated (with lemon juice and sugar) atop yogurt, rice pudding, ice cream, meringues, biscuits, cake, and more!