Fresh Peach Purée

Puréed fresh white peaches is a main ingredient in Bellinis, the signature Venetian drink. Yet, this dubious mixture begins almost immediately to oxidize, turning into a brown-gray of less distinction. But add a splash of lemon juice and something much better happens. The lemon leaches the brilliant pink hue from the skins of the peach and incorporates it into the whole, brightening the mix, amplifying the aroma and transforming it all into the very manna you'd want from this fruit.

FMM: I made this recipe and did not strain it to make Peach Donkey drink. I pureed it in a blender until smooth and it worked just fine. If you think you need a clearer, thinner drink, strain it, but I liked the thicker consistency with the tiny flakes of skin in it. The Peach Donkey has plenty of other liquids that thin it out. Two peaches (2 cups cut-up) made four drinks, although I was a little shy with the last two drinks.

4 cups/1 liter/roughly 1 1/4 pounds ripe white peaches (buy them hard and leave them out at room temp for a couple of days until they reach proper ripeness.)
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 ounces rich simple syrup (1 cup sugar to 1/2 cup hot water, stir to dissolve).

Wash and quarter peaches, keeping the skin on. Remove the pits.

In a blender, purée all ingredients together for a couple of minutes, until consistent and without lumps. Strain through a fine sieve or chinois, working the purée through with a large spoon by scraping the inside of the sieve back and forth to allow the sediment to open up. It can be frozen at this point or covered and refrigerated for up to a week.

You may use the purée as is for Bellinis or turn it into a sorbet by using roughly a liter of it in an ice cream maker.