Welcome to The Alexis Show! This week’s feature recipe is Masala Chai Tea Pickled Peaches.
Sweet summer peaches infuse in a Masala Chai Tea pickling brine for a slightly spiced and tart treat. Serve the pickled peaches on top of a salad, grill as a side dish or snack straight from the jar. Finished the peaches and still have brine? Strain to remove spices and add a few splashes to your favorite vodka cocktail with citrus juice and simple syrup.
Makes 1 pint
INGREDIENTS
- 2 peaches (Choose slightly firm peaches that can withstand being blanched in hot water so that they retain their texture during the pickling process.)
- 2 tablespoons Masala Chai tea blend(for wet brine)
- 2/3 cup white vinegar
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pickling salt (or fine kosher salt without additives)
- 1 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tablespoons Masala Chai tea blend (for dry spice brine)
- 1/2 bay leaf
- 1⁄8th teaspoon black peppercorns
TOOLS: 1 pint jar
DIRECTIONS
Rinse the peaches under cold water. Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a rapid boil. Carefully lower peaches into the boiling water using a slotted spoon. Cover the pot and return to a rolling boil. After 5 minutes, delicately remove the peaches with the large slotted spoon and immediately shock them by placing them into a large bowl of ice water to cool (handle with care, as they bruise easily).
As the peaches cool, add bay leaf, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, and 2 tablespoons of dry masala chai tea blend to the pint jar. Heat 2/3rd cups of water to 212 degrees and steep 2 tablespoons of masala chai tea for 5 minutes to make the masala chai concentrate for the brine. Strain out the tea leaves and reserve brewed masala chai tea. After the peaches have cooled in the ice bath, carefully remove the skins and slice into 12 wedges per peach trying not to release too much of the peach juices (note: Allowing the peaches to cool completely makes them firmer and easier to slice).
Combine the brewed masala chai, white vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until both the sugar and salt have dissolved. Carefully add the peach wedges to the pot and gently stir. Once the brine has returned to a boil, remove the pot from the heat. Using the slotted spoon, carefully ladle the fruit into the pint jar. Pour brine over the fruit to cover. Apply the lid and ring and seal airtight. (Keep in mind that you may have additional brine that you can either save for future use or toss.) Place in the refrigerator overnight to allow the pickling process to take place. Pickled peaches will keep in the fridge for up to a month.
