Let's Talk Food: Just peachy: Now's the time to indulge in beautiful and tasty fruit

June may be the month of brides, the beginning of summer and take-it-easy time. For me, June is peach time, and I'm tempted to jump on my magic carpet and head north to Macon, Ga.

Macon is the home of Len Berg's restaurant, the place to find the most exquisite peach ice cream that ever came out of an old-fashioned ice cream churn. Throughout the central Georgia region, billboards have been going up with the cryptic message: H.M.F.P.I.C. Those Georgia crackers have been salivating, waiting for this message, which stands for: home made fresh peach ice cream.

Good news for peach lovers in Florida: Agronomists are attempting to develop a strain of peaches that will grow successfully in South Florida. Although Florida was the original site of the Spanish cultivation of peaches, it has never been a major crop in our state. California is the principal producer of peaches, with South Carolina and Georgia coming in second and third. The season peaks in July and August. July was named "peach month" in 1982 when Congress verified the importance of the peach with resolution.

The peach was first cultivated in China during the tenth century B.C. Many of the early hand-painted porcelains depict the peach. References to the fruit are found in many early writings, including those of Confucius. The peach, known in the Orient as t'ao, grew wild in northern China, where the fruit still thrives in the wilderness. In other parts of China, ornamental peaches are widely cultivated for their blossoms, an ancient fertility symbol. According to legend, peaches eaten on New Year's Day assures good luck and immortality.

The fruit combines both beauty and tastiness. Epicureans throughout history have been inspired by its flawless skin and succulent sweetness. When Alexander the Great first tasted it, he vowed to share it with the world. He brought seedlings from Japan to Persia, where it has been revered ever since. It was in Persia that the peach was given its botanical name, Prunus persica. From Persia, seedlings were brought to several temperate regions of the world, particularly to the Mediterranean. Soldiers of Alexander the Great introduced peaches in Greece about 322 B.C. With the advance of Christianity, peaches spread into Western Europe and were grown in the orchards of many French monasteries.

When the Spanish came to the Americas, they brought with them peach seedlings, which were primarily responsible for the abundance of wild peaches that greeted the first colonists to arrive from England.

Should I be lucky enough to indulge in Len Berg's homemade peach ice cream (none sold to go; you've got to eat it on the premises) I'll be just a few miles from Fort Valley, in the heart of peach country. The Georgia Peach Festival takes place the third weekend in June. The centerpiece of the festival is the preparation of the world's largest peach cobbler. Practically the whole town turns out in the wee hours of the morning to peel 1,500 pounds of freshly picked ripe peaches. They're stirred constantly for eight hours until the peaches are cooked, then the pastry topping is added. Six fish fryers are set up at the courthouse square to bake the massive dessert.

Don't stop with the cobbler; try generous helpings of peach ice cream, peach sauce, peach salsa, chutney and sampling all the fresh peaches you can hold.

If you just can't make it up to Fort Valley, here's an easy and delicious recipe. And don't forget the ice cream!

PEACH COBBLER

½ cup butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 cup sugar

2 cups fresh, ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the butter in a 9x13-inch ovenproof serving dish and place in the oven to melt. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, and stir in the milk and sugar to make a batter. Remove the dish with the melted butter from the oven and pour in the batter. Spoon the peaches and any juice evenly over the batter. Place the dish back in the oven and bake until the batter is browned and has risen up and around the fruit, about 30 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.

PEACH MOUSSE

This is a simple but interesting dessert made in a matter of minutes.

1 pound fresh, ripe peaches, peeled and pitted

3 tablespoons peach brandy or to taste

½ pint heavy cream, well chilled

Ð cup confectioners' sugar

Process the peaches in a blender or food processor until smooth. There should be about 4 full cups. Pour the cream in a deep bowl and add the sugar and brandy. Whip until the cream has a thick consistency. Add the peaches and blend the mixture thoroughly. Pour the mixture into 6 dessert glasses and place in the refrigerator for several hours. Serve cold.

CHILLED SPICED PEACH AND CANTALOUPE SOUP

½ cup fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon dried anise seed

4 whole allspice berries

2 large ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and diced

1 medium cantaloupe, peeled and cubed

½ cup medium dry sherry

3 tablespoons grated orange rind

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

In a small saucepan, combine the orange juice, anise seed and allspice berries. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the stove and allow to stand for 1 hour. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and reserve; discard the seeds. In a food processor, puree half at a time, the peaches, cantaloupe, sherry, orange rind, honey and lemon juice and place in a large juice pitcher. Repeat with the remaining half. Place in refrigerator overnight. Makes 12 punch cups.

Ask Doris

Q: My son is due to come home from Iraq very soon. When I asked him what I could fix him for his homecoming dinner, he said he had developed a taste for sweet and sour pork. I've never fixed it and don't have a recipe. Can you help?

Gladys Fremont, Bonita Springs

A: This is the best and easiest recipe I could find. I'm sure this homecoming dinner will be a joyous occasion.

SWEET AND SOUR PORK

Pork:

1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes

½ cup flour

6 tablespoons cornstarch

Ò cup cold water

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons baking powder

Vegetable or preferably peanut oil

Combine flour, cornstarch, water and soy sauce. Stir until batter is smooth. Pour oil into a wok or heavy skillet, filling it Ð full; heat oil. Stir 1 tablespoon hot oil and 2 teaspoons baking powder into the batter. Dip meat into batter and fry in hot wok. Fry until lightly browned. Drain meat on paper towels and place in a warm oven until ready to heat with sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

1 tablespoon peanut oil

8 ounces pineapple chunks in own juice

1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

Ð cup vinegar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Ð cup dark corn syrup

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

2 tablespoons dry sherry

Drain pineapple, reserving ¼ cup juice. Pour 1 tablespoon oil into wok or skillet. Heat; then add onion, green pepper and carrots. When soft and translucent, stir in vinegar and cornstarch until smooth. Stir in corn syrup, sugar, salt and pineapple juice. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Add pork, pineapple and sherry. Heat through for a minute, stirring constantly. Serve with steamed rice, Serves 4 to 6.

DEAR READERS: I'm stumped. I've received a request for a recipe for Plantation Shrimp. The one ingredient used is bottled clam juice. If you have the recipe, please e-mail me.

Doris Reynolds is the author of "When Peacocks Were Roasted and Mullet Was Fried" and "Let's Talk Food." They are available for sale in the lobby of the Naples Daily News. For information and comments regarding today's column, contact Doris Reynolds at foodlvr25@aol.com.