“Really and truly, the best way to eat a good peach is right out of hand,” says Elouise “Ouisie” Adams Jones, proprietress and executive chef of Ouisie’s table in Houston. But come peach season, Ouisie knows there is a mighty urge to do more with these blushing babes of summer. At her popular eatery, this advocate of locally grown varietals celebrates the fruit with a special seasonal menu. Here, we salute peaches as well, sharing Ouisie’s tips, tricks, and recipes.

Ouisie's Reflections
At a young age, Ouisie knew fresh was best. Growing up in a rural community on the outskirts of Houston, she delighted in the produce from her mother’s victory garden. But in sun-soaked southeast Texas, finding good, fresh peaches was a problem. Years later, Texas Hill Country peaches—grown in the rocky soil and cooler clime near Fredericksburg—entered her life and her restaurant. Enchanted by their sweet, juicy flesh, she accepts no substitutes and has been known to make the 4-hour trek to Hill Country herself just to fill her trunk. Though it may be hard to find fresh Hill Country peaches in your area, any good peach will do if you follow Ouisie’s rules:
• Refrigeration reduces the flavor and juice, so eat peaches when ripe.
• Ouisie likes her fruit with the skin on. “Like the peel of a carrot, the peach skin adds another dimension,” she explains.
• Slice them with the skin on, put in a big bowl, toss with sugar and fresh lemon juice, cover, and refrigerate. Then toss into spinach salads, spoon over ice cream, ladle over cereal, or just eat out of a bowl with whipped cream and snipped fresh mint.
• The delicate flavor of the fruit makes it difficult to marry with all foods. “Peaches are great with duck but not with chicken. Chicken needs more than a peach,” Ouisie says. Use them to make salsa. “Cilantro works with the fruit, as does raw white onion. With the addition of red pepper flakes or fresh jalapeño, you have a good match for meats, chips, or grilled fish.”
• Flavors that go well with peaches: mint, nutmeg, rum, almonds, cinnamon, and ginger.
• Peaches are a natural over ice cream or in cobblers, pies, or sundaes. A simple dessert: Marinate sliced, skin-on peaches in their own juices and spoon them over ginger ice cream. Embellish with a sprinkle of toasted almonds and crushed vanilla sugar cookies and top with rum-flavored whipped cream, a drizzle of honey, and a mint sprig.