Ryan's Peachy Iced Tea Cocktail
Inspired by summer nights, peach season and potluck dinners, this peach iced tea cocktail is a hit at summer adult gatherings and Friday night volleyball get togethers.
One year, after producing a bumper crop of habanero peppers, peach farmer Ryan Stage reached out to his friend Robin Ditrich, a chef, and asked if she could create a recipe to use the peppers and peaches. The result is a recipe for a very yummy peach salsa. It makes a very large batch to match the very large crop of peppers, but can easily be cut in half or quartered.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: Yield: 14 (32-ounce) jars
- 24 tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons smoked salt
- 2 tablespoons dried or fresh chives
- ¼ cup dried or fresh parsley
- Coarse black pepper to taste
- 26 Redhaven peaches
- ½ cup honey
- 8 jalapeño peppers
- 12 bell peppers, in a variety of colors
- 8 banana peppers
- 4 large red onions
- 2 large yellow onions
- 4 limes
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6–8 Thai chilis (optional, for a hot version only)
Preparation
Dice the tomatoes and place them in a large container with a lid. Add the smoked salt, chives, parsley and a little black pepper. Mix well, cover and place container in refrigerator for later.
Cut 10 of the peaches in half, remove the pits, and place them on a grill, skin side up. Drizzle the peaches with half the honey—about ¼ cup. Grill for 4–5 minutes. Transfer the peaches to a cookie sheet and put them in the refrigerator to chill.
Grill 4 whole jalapeños, 4 whole bell peppers and 4 whole banana peppers until slightly charred. Remove from grill and set aside to cool.
Dice the remaining peaches, bell peppers, jalapeños, banana peppers, red onions and yellow onions. Add to a very large mixing bowl and combine well. This is the salsa base.
Cut the limes in half and squeeze the juice over the salsa base. Mix well.
Dice the grilled veggies and grilled peaches and add them to the salsa base.
Remove tomatoes from refrigerator and add them to the salsa base.
Chop the cilantro and the basil and mix well into the salsa base. If you’re making the hot version, add the diced Thai chilis. Add the remaining honey and the cinnamon. Mix well.
Taste the salsa. If needed, add more smoked salt, black pepper or lime, depending on your taste preferences.
Store the salsa in canning jars in the fridge for 7–10 days. It can also be frozen.
Serve with your favorite chips or as a topping for grilled fish, chicken or baked brie.
Related Stories & Recipes
