Dessert in ten minutes - or less

I swear. I mean that. And it may be one of the best desserts you'll ever have. Again, I swear.

Even amongst people who enjoy cooking, there is a fear of "pastry." 'I'M NOT A PASTRY CHEF".You'll hear that, a lot, from people who are really good cooks, as the put out a plate of storebought cookies, or a cake from a good bakery, or a bowl of fruit or good chocolates.
Well, let's not down play any of those desserts. Some of the best cookies I have ever had came from a tin, and were based on almond flowers. And sometimes ONE really succulent chocolate will just do the trick at the end of the meal.
BUT.... you gotta try this one, really. And I'm gonna dedicate to all of my cook friends who don't do dessert. You know who you are, and when this gets to facebook, I'm gonna tag, each and every one of you.
At its core, this is farmhouse cooking. Plain and simple. You want something sweet, this is what you have around. You make it in the morning, or the night before, and you come back to it. No need to refrigerate it, nada.
And when my Italian friends read it, they're gonna say "OH YEAH. I remember that one."
This is based on a recipe from David Lebovitz, but he would be the first to say that he was only codifying what is out there and has been out there for centuries. It's a dessert which, if it were served in a restaurant (as was the case in the badly missed Centovini), I would pounce on immediately. Why more restaurants don't make it, I don't know.

Here we go . Here are your ingredients. One bottle of a fruity red wine. I normally use zinfandel, but as David and I explore the world of grenache, I think we're going to tag team on one using that wonderful wine. You also need a cup of sugar for each bottle of wine (you may want to make more than one. ). Finally, you need peaches and/or nectarines. Classically, recipes say to peel the peaches. Don't bother. Just rub them clean.

Pour the bottle of wine into a non-reactive vessel of some type, and add the sugar. Stir until it's dissolved. Then, slice the fruit into nice slices into the wine, and go away. For at least three hours.

You're done. I swear. I mean it.

When you come back after those three hours, preferably overnight, the wine will have infused into the fruit, the juice will have passed into the wine, and you have synergy in a glass. You serve this with a fork, to pull out the fruit, and then you drink the wine. Then you have a second portion.

Now, has anyone noticed something rather interesting about this dessert? Someone besides Sue. She's got her hand up and she's waving it hard. She gets it. She always does. We're lacking something in this dessert aren't we? C'mon, someone other than Sue give me the answer.

There's no fat in this dessert. None. Now, are we going to let that stand? Well, we can. But you know what really goes well with this? A soft, mild cheese. Goat or sheep milk based is best, but use what you can find. I think something like cheddar might work as well but I always put out ricotta, or something runny. If you have some of those wonderful storebought cookies put them out too. But don't neglect the dessert as it is.

You should play with this. I will have to check with David, but I believe that, in Spain, this is sometimes done with sliced oranges (think sangria), and I can't imagine that mango slices wouldn't work too. Or cherries. Strawberries in wine is a classic French country dessert.

I have always made this with red wine, and as I was thinking about it, I was thinking about all those rieslings and gewurtztramminers that are too sweet to drink and not sweet enough as dessert wines. Betcha those whites would be good, too. Hmmm. Riesling with mango and litchi? I see the makings of a good dessert after a spicy Asian meal.

Play with your food here a little. Try different combinations. I am intrigued, for example, by the possibility of using pineapple with different wines. I can't see banana working, but maybe you can. Nor do I see apples or pears, and I wouldn't want to spoil the perfume of a perfect raspberry in this way. But you see where I am going. Give it a try. Drink your dessert. You will have that much more time to relax with your friends, and spent more time cooking. How good is that?