The Perfect Peach: Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm

by Masumoto, David Mas; Masumoto, Marcy; Masumoto, Nikiko; Valentine, Staci

• ISBN13: 9781607743279
• ISBN10: 1607743272
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2013-06-11
• Publisher: Random House Inc

Summary

A cookbook showcasing the luscious flavor of peaches in 50 sweet and savory dishes, drawing on the life stories and experiences of America's foremost peach farming family, the Masumotos of California's central valley. The heirloom peaches grown by third-and fourth-generation peach farmers David Mas Masumoto and his family have received countless accoladeswith top chefs such as Rick Bayless and Dan Barber regularly vying for their share of the season's harvestand numerous features and profiles in the national media. This cookbook gathers the family's favorite recipes, from classics like Peach Cobbler, Peach Salsa, Grilled Peaches, and Peach Glazed Chicken, to inspired combinations such as Vin de Peche, Peach Jicama Salad, and Chicken and Peach Empanadas. Accompanied by eloquent essays that evoke the soul of family farming and the nuances of life filled with peaches, The Perfect Peachrevels in a deep understanding of summer's finest fruit from the most authoritative, revered peach growers alive today.

Author Biography

DAVID MAS MASUMOTO is an organic peach and grape farmer, the author of numerous books, and a member of the National Council on the Arts. He is currently a columnist for the Fresno Bee, and has written for the New York Times magazine, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Times. Mas’s first book, Epitaph for a Peach, won the 1995 Julia Child Cookbook Award for Literary Food Writing and was a finalist for the 1996 James Beard Foundation Food Writing Award. He owns and operates Masumoto Family Farm with his wife, Marcy, and daughter, Nikiko.
 
MARCY MASUMOTO, co-owner of Masumoto Family Farm, is responsible for the selection of peach varieties, develops recipes and peach products, and is actively involved with management and seasonal fieldwork.
 
NIKIKO MASUMOTO grew up slurping the nectar of overripe organic peaches on the Masumoto Family Farm and has never missed a harvest. She received her Master of Arts in Performance as Public Practice from the University of Texas at Austin. She works full-time on the family farm as a farm apprentice and artist.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Rick Bayless  
Introduction: Dating a Peach  
 
chapter one
A Peach Primer
 
chapter two
Thirst and Sweat
Beverages and Stories about Work
 
chapter three
At the Table
Savory Dishes and Family Farming
 
chapter four
Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dishes and Peach Pleasure
 
chapter five
Harvest Memories
Preserves and Legacy
 
Acknowledgments 
Index 
Measurement Conversion Charts 
About the Authors