Sweet peaches with alchermes

Ingredients:

for the biscuits

• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 170 g sugar
• 100 g soft butter at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 500 g 00 flour
• 1 sachet baking powder

for the chocolate custard

• 400 g fresh whole milk
• 100 g fresh liquid cream (which you can substitute with 80 g whole milk)
• 4 very fresh medium egg yolks
• 150 g sugar (reduce to 130 g)
• 40 g potato starch
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 150 g 70% dark chocolate

for decoration

• 50 ml Alchermes liqueur
• granulated sugar
• small leaves for decoration

Preparation:

biscuits

1. put the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer (otherwise you can use electric whisks) beat with the whisks for a couple of minutes until you get a light and frothy mixture
2. add the soft butter in pieces and the milk and continue to beat
3. add the sifted flour together with the baking powder (if you use a stand mixer, replace the whisk with the K hook)
4. when the dough is soft and slightly sticky, pour the dough onto a lightly floured pastry board and work it a little to make it less sticky
5. divide the dough into 25 g portions
6. make balls and then flatten the bottom when placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (this trick is essential for making perfectly shaped peaches!)
7. bake in a preheated STATIC oven at 180° for about 15 minutes: the biscuits should remain a little pale on the surface and slightly golden brown underneath
8. remove them from the oven and let them cool
9. with the tip of a sharp knife, hollow out the biscuits.

chocolate custard

1. whip the egg yolks with sugar and vanilla for about 2 minutes. Use electric whisks to obtain a light, frothy and fluffy mixture
2. add the sifted potato starch to the mixture
3. mix with electric whisks until a homogeneous, smooth and perfectly whipped product is obtained
4. in a saucepan, mix fresh cream and milk, place on the heat and bring to a boil
5. be careful not to boil the liquids too much
6. as soon as you see the very first bubbles, remove from the heat, quickly pour the mixture of egg yolk, sugar and potato starch into the milk
7. put back on moderate heat
8. wait a few seconds: the egg mixture floats on the surface of the milk without sinking to the bottom, precisely because the whipped egg yolk and sugar have incorporated enough air to remain on the surface. It will take about 1 minute and you will see "craters" appear on the surface, which are milk bubbles that break through the egg yolk surface and slowly the egg will detach from the sides of the pot, making way for the milk
9. stir quickly with a hand whisk and immediately turn off the heat; in a few seconds the cream is ready
10. when your cream is still hot, add the previously chopped chocolate
11. stir quickly with the whisk until it is completely melted and immediately pour the cream into a serving dish, spread it out well, covered with cling film in contact
12. let it cool completely at room temperature
13. when the cream is very cold, it will appear thick and compact, just stir it quickly with a hand whisk and the chocolate custard is ready to be used

peaches

1. put the cream in a pastry bag with a plain nozzle and fill the biscuits
2. join 2 halves to form a peach, letting a little cream escape
3. pour the Alchermes into a small dish and quickly dip the peaches in it, then remove them
4. let the Alchermes-soaked peaches drain
5. roll them in granulated sugar
6. place the Alchermes peaches on a small plate or in paper cups.
   

Tips:

• store the sweet peaches in the fridge and take them out half an hour before consuming them

• the peaches should not be left in the Alchermes for too long, otherwise they will soak too much and lose their consistency

• sweet peaches can be stored for a couple of days in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, otherwise they will lose their fragrance

Alchermes was once considered an elixir of long life and was even given to children as a calming agent!

Peaches are a traditional sweet perfect for breakfast, a snack, or as a dessert to pleasantly conclude lunch or dinner.

Don't have time to prepare them? You can buy ours HERE which are handmade with a family recipe.

Enjoy your meal!