Recipes featuring fresh peaches shine in the summer fruit spotlight this time of year.

Eat This Lafayette

The peach is the summer star of the recipes featuring fresh peaches right from the farm show.

My mother and grandmother used to haul our peach picking fannies to a local peach orchard to pick basket after basket of Louisiana peaches.

Peaches found on the ground were free for the picking up, and we came peach eating prepared with small plastic margarine containers full of Louisiana pure cane sugar.

Good and tasty times!

The peach is so well loved we celebrate it in Louisiana festival glory. The Louisiana Peach Festival celebrates the summer crop, growers and deliciousness that is Ruston peaches.

Louisiana Peach Festival

Long days and warm afternoons can zap the desire to prepare lunch or dinner right out of you.

When my summer got up and go would rather be my summer got up and went anywhere but the kitchen, I refer to a tried and true formula for summer culinary burnout.

KISS- keep it summer simple!

Serving summer cold salads, small side sandwiches, and fresh seasonal fruits is the way to go.

Last week I hit the fresh fruit jackpot with cantaloupes and two Louisiana grown favorites, Sugartown watermelon and fresh Ruston peaches.

The peach is the star of these keep it summer simple recipes that deliver big flavor.

Melon and Peach Salad with Bacon and Peach Mayonnaise

Ingredients

watermelon

1 cantaloupe

2 peaches, peeled and sliced

½ teaspoon coarse Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon fine black pepper

2 Tablespoons honey

½ cup peach puree (recipe below)

6 slices of cooked bacon; crumbled

peach mayonnaise (recipe below)

Peach Puree

2 peaches, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon honey

Peach Mayonnaise

½ cup peach puree

1 cup mayonnaise

1 ½ Tablespoon deli mustard

1 ½ Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Cut watermelon and cantaloupe in half removing seeds. Using a melon baller, scoop out melon balls and place in medium serving bowl. Peel and slice peaches and add to melon balls. Refrigerate fruit until chilled, approximately 30 minutes.

Add honey, salt, pepper, and peach puree to melon and peach mixture, gently tossing to coat.

Dish onto chilled salad plate or bowl, top with crumbled bacon and peach mayonnaise. Serves 4.

Peach Puree

Peel and slice peaches and place in food processor. Drizzle honey over peaches. Process until smooth.

Peach Mayonnaise

In medium mixing bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sugar, honey, deli mustard, and peach puree.

Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Biscuit BLTs with Peach Mayonnaise

Ingredients

1 lb. bacon, cooked and drained

2 large tomatoes, sliced

1 package butter lettuce

peach mayonnaise

1 package frozen biscuits

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil turning up edges. Lay the bacon strips out flat on the baking sheet. Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until done to your liking.