I want to take a bath in that peach sauce 1.01 Pilot

“Oh, dear God Almighty. That's incredible!” “I want to put it on the waffles tomorrow morning for breakfast.” “I want to take a bath in that sauce!” “I will make more!”

Sookie’s Peach Sauce

Ingredients

• 7 ripe peaches (white or yellow, but yellow peaches will give your sauce a more traditional peach color)

• ½ cup of white granulated sugar

• ¼ cup of maple syrup

• 2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Directions

1. Fill a large saucepan halfway in water and place over high heat.

2. While you wait for the water to boil, cut the peaches in half and remove the pits.

3. When the water reaches a boil, place the halved peaches into the boiling water. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Drain the water and allow peaches to completely cool.

5. Once the peaches are completely cool, peel them and cut into small chunks. You could also peel the peaches before you cook them or leave the skins on.

6. Place the peaches in a food processor or blender and blend until thick and smooth.

7. Pour the peach puree back into the same saucepan and return to low heat.

8. Add the sugar, maple syrup, lemon juice, and water to the sauce and stir until combined. If desired, add cinnamon. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

9. Allow the sauce to completely cool before serving. Read below for how I served my peach sauce!

The peach sauce and clotted cream over scones

No, I didn’t make the iconic PopTarts for my first recipe (although, coming soon). PopTarts aren’t even mentioned in the first episode. What I made for my very first Eating Gilmore dish is not a well-known dish in the series, but I do believe it’s an important one. When we first meet Sookie St. James (the character I think my personality most resembles) she has perfected her peach sauce. She also is on the floor after falling in the kitchen and her stitches opened. I truly miss clumsy Sookie in the later seasons. I loved that she was so focused on her cooking that nothing would stand in her way...even if that meant she wasn’t the safest chef in the kitchen.

What is most notable about this scene for me is Lorelai’s relatable line, “I want to take a bath in that sauce!” I will say that about any good sauce, a Genova pesto from the Cinque Terre, the peanut butter chocolate fondue from Simply Fondue, Raising Cane’s Sauce...you get the picture. Now actually bathing in sauce would obviously be disgusting, but I think this quote truly encapsulates the deliciousness of a good sauce.

So my challenge was to make a sauce that would be worthy of Lorelai wanting to take a bath in. The first step was actually finding peaches. I wanted to start this blog in the fall because what says Gilmore Girls more than the fall? Buuuuuut that obviously put peaches out of season, so I would probably recommend saving this for a summer recipe. Or don’t. We’re not about playing by the rules here. I did manage to find some peaches at my local Sprouts (score!). I went in (with my mask on because pandemic) and spotted three lone peaches. I was a little disappointed, but again, with peaches being out of season, finding any was a win. However, a man stocking produce asked me if I wanted any more peaches because he had some more in the back so I was able to get the seven I needed! Way nicer than Taylor Doose I must say.

I managed to find beautiful peaches out of season

With my peaches ready to go, I also needed to figure out how to incorporate maple syrup into the sauce. According to Sookie when she fixed the sauce, she figured out she was using too much maple. It strangled the fruit. I needed to get the right amount of maple. I couldn’t strangle the fruit!! I think the combination of maple syrup and lemon juice creates a nice balance in the sauce. The sourness of the lemon does well to counteract the sweetness of both the maple and the peaches.

I did go a little off the Gilmore path with this one. In the scene, Sookie declares she wants to pour the sauce over waffles in the morning. I didn’t pour my sauce over waffles (maybe tomorrow) but I did pour it over scones. The most delectable scones from baking queen Ms. Mary Berry herself. I made scones for the anniversary of my sister trip to London. With the pandemic and all the travel bans, I have been feeling the travel fomo BAD! My last trip was to Switzerland literally before all of this went down. It’s how I’ve been keeping track of how long we’ve been in quarantine for because we got home the DAY the lockdown started. But...I digress.

Warm scones from Mary Berry's Baking Bible

Since my sister and I have been feeling blue about not traveling and missing our beloved London, I whipped up these scones because is there a better way to cure sadness than a scone and a cup of tea (with an episode of Gilmore Girls playing in the background obviously)? They reminded me so much of the scones we had on our first full day in London. This isn’t a travel blog, but I’ll occasionally write about my travels too (See above: we’re not about playing by the rules). If you’re ever in London, I highly recommend the English Rose Cafe and Tea Shop. It’s just around the corner from Buckingham Palace. So while it might be a little touristy, it’s so idyllic and quaint with its floral wallpaper and charming teapots. Anyway, we were wanting a true British tea experience- as one does- and we darted into the English Rose as it started to rain (I know, just like in the movies). Naturally, we ordered a pot of tea and warm scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream. And I was in LOVE. Could this BE any more British? I might also be a big F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fan too...

Perfect for tea time!

The consistency of this peach sauce is more like a jam than a loose sauce, but I like a chunky texture for my fruit sauces. It paired perfectly with homemade clotted cream (but that could be because clotted cream takes 24 hours to make and I was dying to have some).

Anyway, I think this is the perfect dish to start my Eating Gilmore journey with because this sauce says so much about Lorelai and Sookie's friendship. Do you have any food memories with your best friend? Let me know down in the comments below.

If you missed what why I decided to start this project, find out here!