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Duraznos en almíbar (Mexican peaches in piloncillo syrup)
Peeled peach halves poached in cinnamon and piloncillo syrup, served cold
Across Mexico, from the orchards of Zacatecas and Puebla to every abuela's pantry, duraznos en almíbar are how the summer peach crop is kept, and a bowl of them chilled from the fridge is a classic Sunday dessert. Peeled peach halves are poached in a syrup of piloncillo, the cone-shaped raw cane sugar, with cinnamon and cloves, so they turn tender and glossy and soak up a warm, molasses-like sweetness. Serve them cold in their syrup, on their own, or with a spoon of crema or thick yoghurt. Nothing needs setting and no egg is involved: the fruit simply poaches in the sugar syrup, which thickens lightly as it cools. Chef's tip: choose ripe but firm peaches and poach them gently; the common mistake is boiling the syrup hard, which turns the halves ragged and stringy.
- Total time
- 160 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 7 oz piloncilloor dark brown sugar, chopped
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 1 tbsp lime juice
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Cut a small cross in the base of each of the 8 ripe but firm peaches and lower them in for 30–60 seconds, until the skin wrinkles at the cross.
5 minStep 2: Lift into a bowl of iced water, then slip off the skins. Halve and remove the stones.
Step 3: Put 7 oz piloncillo, 3 ¼ cups water, 2 cinnamon sticks and 3 whole cloves in a wide pan and simmer over a medium heat for 8 minutes, until the piloncillo dissolves and the syrup smells of caramel.
8 minStep 4: Add the peach halves, cut side down, and poach at a gentle simmer for 8–10 minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance but they keep their shape.
9 minStep 5: Lift the peaches into a dish. Boil the syrup for 3–4 minutes to reduce slightly, stir in 1 tbsp lime juice and pour over the fruit.
4 minStep 6: Cool, then chill for at least 2 hours. Serve cold with plenty of syrup; they keep 5 days in the fridge.
120 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does duraznos en almíbar (Mexican peaches in piloncillo syrup) take?
- About 160 minutes in total: 135 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon sticks?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
- What can I use instead of whole cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
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