Did you know that peaches are actually a great replacement for tomatoes? It’s true! A peach is also a sweet fruit with a somewhat thick, edible peel, just like a tomato. We’ve used peaches in salads, in condiments and it makes for a fantastic Caprese salad! With this in mind, and since Stacy avoids tomatoes as part of a modified Autoimmune protocol, we thought they might make for an interesting barbecue sauce. And it did, this sauce is so good!
You see, autumn arrived here in Virginia pretty suddenly in the past week. Overnight the temperature went from 85 to 60 and it never went back. I feel cheated out of the last week of summer! Luckily, thanks to our picking exploits this year, we have a freezer full of peaches so we could recapture just a little bit of that late summer feeling. And what better way to evoke summer than with barbecue?
We stewed down the peaches into a peach butter, added some spices and a dash of Fauxmato sauce (you can use tomatoes, too) and voila! A nightshade-free Peach Butter BBQ Sauce! This is a similar concept to our Apple Butter BBQ sauce, but the result has a more interesting flavor, in my opinion. It’s perfect for pork ribs and grilled chicken.
Ingredients
- 1 T ghee, butter, or coconut oil
- 6 C frozen peach slices, thawed (about 9-12 medium peaches, 3lbs from fresh)
- 1 1/2 C Fauxmato or Tomato Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp cloves
- 1/2 tbsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp mace
- 2 tsp fenugreek
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- warm the ghee over medium heat in medium saucepan, pour thawed peaches (with skin on) and juices into the warm pot
- reduce heat to low and bring to a slow boil (about 15 minutes) with lid off, stirring often; allow peaches to thicken as water in juice evaporates
- add Fauxmato/Tomato sauce, spices, and lemon juice; stir to combine and cover with lid to simmer over low head for another 10-15 min
- remove from head, remove lid, allow to cool before transferring to storage containers (such as mason or canning jars)
Instead of ribs or chicken thighs, Stacy had something else in mind. It had been a long time since Stacy’d had Chicken BBQ Pizza and this sauce was a perfect accompaniment. With bacon or proscioutto as a salty compliment to the sweeter sauce, it’s a great way to extend the taste of summer.
And oh man was it delicious! The sauce has just the right sweet and tangy flavor to complement the chicken. And who can go wrong with pizza, the world’s most delicious food?
Chicken BBQ Pizza (with options)
- Use your favorite pizza crust, we prefer The Urban Poser’s and pre-bake if necessary/instructions call for it (our Meatza Recipe with a fennel-spice sauce would work well too)
- Apply 1/2-2/3 C Peach Butter BBQ sauce to pizza dough, depending on size – you want a thin layer of sauce or else the crust will become too soggy to hold and eat
- Layer up! We suggest, from bottom up:
- OPTION 1: sauce, greens (arugula and baby spinach work great), shredded mozzarella (about 1/2 cup) or dairy-free substitute, red onion, crisped bacon, and shredded chicken (we use Whole Foods rotisserie as a shortcut but any cooked chicken will work); finish with your favorite herbs (garlic works well), salt and pepper, and finishing cheese – such as Parmesan or asiago
- OPTION 2: sauce, shredded mozzarella or dairy-free substitute, vidalia or sweet white onion, prosciutto, fresh sliced peaches or pears, and and shredded chicken; finish with your favorite herbs, salt and pepper. Finish with a soft sweeter cheese to bring it together – such as ricotta or burrata and a sprinkle of Parmesan
- Cook until top of pizza’s cheese is brown and bubble and crust is a golden brown, allow to cool slightly, then garnish with thick aged balsamic (a flavor like fig is lovely here) and fresh herbs, such as flat leaf parsley or mint
There are many gluten-free pizza crust recipes out there, but Urban Poser’s is the best we’ve had by far. It’s a little more complicated to make, but the crispy-chewy texture that results is wonderful and worth the extra effort. Pictured is a store-bought cauliflower-based grain-free crust.
We definitely recommend giving this a try. You’ll impress your friends with your unique ideas plus end up with a versatile sauce for all your condiment needs. And it’s a great way to remember your time in the sun!
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