Passion for peaches

It's peak peach season: The fruit is at its best, peaches are plentiful, plus, they're inexpensive.

But not all peaches are created equal, and not all of them are tasty. Before you let the "sale" sign tempt you, you ought to know that the best way to tell a good peach is by its smell.

Never mind the beautiful rose blush or the perfectly shaped sphere. These are not signs of superior flavor. A flavorful peach has a flowery, sweet perfume that lets you cull perfectly ripe fruit from one batch over another.

It beckons you. Pick each one up and sniff it before you stuff it into a plastic bag.

Immature, hard peaches that have no floral fragrance will never develop succulence and flavor. They might become soft, but might taste flat. Any price is too much, even if it seems like a bargain.

Don't be intimidated by passersby that stare at you. (Remember: Truffles, which are among the most highly regarded of culinary treasures, are found in the woods by animals trained in sniffing.) And don't be in a hurry. Take the time, get a whiff of each peach and you'll be rewarded.

When you pick the peach up to smell it, touch it gently at the stem end. There should be a little "give," that is, a softening. But the fruit should be firm overall.

If you are fortunate enough to find peaches with the proper perfume, you need do no more than eat them out of hand. Or, slice them for shortcake or breakfast cereal, puree them for sauce or Bellini cocktails or chop them into homemade ice cream or unflavored yogurt. No broiling, baking, poaching or other culinary sleight-of-hand can capture peach essence as perfectly as the fruit in its raw state.

But, if you wish to capitalize on great peaches and simply can't eat all the raw fruit you find, there are some delicious prospects.

Roasting concentrates the sugar and flavor of a ripe peach. It is a simple process: cut the fruit in half, season it and put it in a hot oven for a few minutes. Our recipe suggests flavoring the peaches with herbs: lemon verbena, mint, thyme and rosemary complement peaches well. But you might try more traditional seasonings of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and ginger, or even curry powder if you intend to serve the roasted peaches with meat.

Roasted peaches are fine served plain, but are a touch more voluptuous when accompanied by ice cream, "creme fraiche" or whipped cream. Simpler additions such as fresh raspberries, blackberries or a Madeleine cookie can be just as glamorous. Roasted peaches are also terrific toppers for French toast or pancakes, and work perfectly as a side dish to roasted or grilled pork, ham or poultry.

Peach pie is a favorite and freezes well. It helps extend the summer season for as long as eight months, double wrapped in plastic wrap. Think how refreshing a summer peach pie will be when winter's cold weather comes.

For more prolonged peach pleasure, consider preserves. You can put up chutney, relish, jam and pickles that will last a year on the shelf. Our chutney recipe is a nice side dish with roasted turkey, pork or duck.

Fein is the author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cooking Basics" (MacMillan, third edition, $16.95).