Peachy

I love the opportunity to get back into cooking. It was pushed aside last year when my work nearly doubled and I couldn't find time to eat, let alone cook.

This year is much calmer after a surgery and recovery. And now children who had moved out are visiting, giving me ample excuse to turn out some more recipes. Today's recipe was inspired by a bottle of chianti. Let me explain.

I've been dabbling in becoming a wine aficionado -- not seriously, but just for fun and enjoyment. I was reading my World Atlas of Wine and I was reading about different chiantis and which were considered the best. Naturally it wasn't the one I had. I like buying them with the little basket attached, but apparently, that's good but not great wine. So I hopped over to the store and got a chianti classico. Then the dilemma -- what to serve with it?

Paella, of course.

Since the kids were home, I decided that dessert was in order, too. However, after making guacamole and paella, the last thing I wanted to do was make some complicated dessert. I opted for ice cream. With peach sauce. The peaches right now are exquisite, too.

Here's the successful result:

Peach Sauce with Brandy
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
6 whole cloves
2 fresh peaches, chopped
2 Tbl. brandy (I used French brandy)
1 Tbl. corn starch

Heat sugar, cloves, and water in a small saucepan until sugar is melted. Take out the cloves. Add the cornstarch (mix it with a little water first) and then add the brandy and the peaches. Heat just slightly, then take off the heat, put it in a bowl, and chill it. Spoon it over ice cream. If you want, you can heat it again before serving (I nuked until it was warm).