Frozen Peach Bellini

I really haven’t embraced peaches this summer on the blog yet. As much as I love fall and can’t wait to start cooking fall-inspired dishes, it’s still summer here whether I like it or not. And I do love peaches.

Even though I’m not a baker anyway, I’d still prefer a juicy ripe peach over peaches baked in a cobbler. I might be that way with most all summer fruit, actually.

I have used peaches to make mustard, vinaigrettes, peach syrup, chutney, and recently, a peach and chile pepper vinegar. That’s just more fun to me.

Peaches also lend themselves well to cocktails! We’ve all had bellinis at Sunday brunch, or maybe a wedding shower, and they’re good. They’re usually made from peach purée or peach nectar.

For something different, and mostly because our summer weather has been in the upper 90’s, I decided to freeze peaches and make a slushy peach Bellini. Although I used nectarines.

The way I remove the flesh from the peach pit is to cut into the peach till the knife touches the pit, and make two vertical cuts. Then pull away as gently as you can to remove the pieces. Does this always work? No way.

Frozen Bellini

2 large, fresh ripe peaches, peeled, quartered, frozen
12 ounces champagne
4-5 ounces peach schnapps, according to your taste
1 squirt stevia*, or your favorite variety of liquid sugar

Place the frozen peaches in your blender jar. Pour the champagne, schnapps, and the stevia over the top.

Process the mixture until smooth.

Pour and serve. I used glasses that were in the freezer.

This batch made four tall drinks. You can make the bellinis more slushy or frozen by adding ice cubes.

Think about all of the fun drinks you can make by adding different fruit!

Plus, you could always use a sparkling wine or rosé instead of champagne.

The important part of making this Bellini is using the sweetest ripe fruit. Ideally, no sweetener should be necessary. These bellinis should have natural sweetness, plus some from the schnapps.

* I’m not a health freak, but I do use stevia. To me, why not use stevia? It’s non-caloric, it’s not a chemical, and it sweetens. I put a little squirt in my Nespresso espresso every morning, or to make a quick lemonade with fresh lemon juice. But honey or agave will both work well in this recipe if some sweetening is necessary.