Snack American
Peach cowboy candy
Sweet-hot jalapeños and tender pieces of peach that hold their shape, in a tangy syrup with ginger and garlic. This peach version of cowboy candy goes with cheese, burgers and sandwiches. Keep it in the fridge.
Ingredients
4 servings · metric units
This makes one batch of a condiment, counted as 4 servings. For larger quantities, use a wider pan or cook in batches so the peaches do not break down with longer heating. Judge syrup reduction by consistency rather than increasing the time proportionally.
You’ll need
gloves for handling chillies · kitchen scales, measuring jug and measuring spoons · knife and chopping board · fine grater · medium stainless-steel or enamelled saucepan · stirring spoon and slotted spoon · clean, scalded jars with matching lids · ladle or jam funnel
Method
0/8 stepsPrepare the jars
Wash the jars and lids, rinse thoroughly and scald any parts suitable for boiling water. Keep the jars warm until filling so that hot syrup is not poured into cold glass. Have an extra small jar ready, as the yield depends on the size of the peaches.
Prepare the jars. Prepare the ingredients
Put on gloves. Wash the jalapeños, remove the stalks and slice the chillies into 3–5 mm rounds. Wash and stone the peaches, then cut the flesh into roughly 1 cm dice. Leave the skins on or peel them if they come away easily. Peel and very thinly slice the garlic. Peel and finely grate the ginger.
Prepare the ingredients. Make the syrup
Pour the cider vinegar into the saucepan. Add the sugar, salt, turmeric, ginger and garlic, plus the mustard seeds, ground chilli or cayenne and cinnamon, if using. Heat over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved and no crystals remain on the base. Bring to a gentle boil, then cook for 5 minutes. Allow around 5–8 minutes beforehand for heating and dissolving the sugar.
05:00Make the syrup. Add the chillies
Add the jalapeños and stir gently to coat them in the syrup. Cook at a gentle boil for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The slices should soften slightly and lose a little of their bright green colour, but keep their shape.
04:00Add the chillies. Briefly cook the peaches
Add the peaches and stir carefully. Cook for a further 2–3 minutes, just until the fruit softens slightly. The cubes should remain distinct, with their edges intact, rather than breaking down into jam.
02:00Briefly cook the peaches. Transfer the fruit and reduce the syrup
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chillies and peaches to the warm jars without packing them down firmly. Leave room for the syrup. Boil the liquid alone over a medium heat for 5–8 minutes until glossier and slightly syrupy: it should lightly coat a spoon but still run off freely.
05:00Transfer the fruit and reduce the syrup. Fill and seal the jars
Pour the hot syrup over the jar contents to cover the chillies and peaches, leaving about 1 cm of headspace beneath the lid. Gently move the contents with a clean spoon to release air bubbles. Wipe the rims and fit the lids. If there is not enough syrup to cover the pieces, transfer everything to more suitably sized jars; do not dilute the syrup with water.
Fill and seal the jars. Cool and refrigerate
Stand the jars on a heatproof surface away from draughts. Allow them to cool slightly for around 60 minutes, then refrigerate; do not wait longer than 2 hours after cooking finishes. Do not immerse hot jars in cold water. Chill for at least 24 hours before serving to allow the flavours to combine.
1440:00Cool and refrigerate.
Tips
- Do not overcook the fruit while waiting for a thick syrup. Lift it out with the chillies, then reduce the liquid on its own.
- The hot syrup should still be pourable. It will thicken as it cools, so do not reduce it to a caramel-like consistency.
- For a milder result, remove some of the pale inner membranes from the jalapeños before slicing. Omit the optional ground chilli as well.
- Serve as a topping for cream cheese and crackers, cheddar burgers, grilled Camembert, tacos or pulled pork sandwiches.
- The flavours combine after 24 hours and develop further after 3–5 days. Count the storage limit from the day you make it.
Storage
This is a fridge preserve, not a cupboard preserve. After filling the jars, allow them to cool slightly and refrigerate within 2 hours of finishing cooking. Keep at 4°C or below and use within 7 days of preparation. Use a clean spoon and keep the pieces submerged in syrup. Sealing the jars while hot does not make them suitable for storage at room temperature.
Timing
Hands-on: 35 min · Cooking: 30 min · Resting: 1500 min