Plato tradicional.

I love quesadillas. I first enjoyed this authentic Mexican treat at a table overlooking Boothbay Harbor in Maine. It was the day before my 21st birthday and Sandy Larsen née Bugbee took me out to dinner at Bravos Mexican Restaurant.

Bravos had a quesadilla special each night and I believe that evening’s involved crab and brie. Authenticity aside - way aside - it was delicious, and freed me to think beyond chicken and cheddar. Let’s face it, just about anything tastes good grilled between two tortillas with hot melted cheese, including, it turns out, peaches.

Sounds funny, right? But, if you are a fan of peach salsa over grilled chicken or with salty tortilla chips then you know that peaches are a natural with Mexican and Tex-Mex flavors. In this case they pair deliciously with sharp cheddar, sweet pork sausage, warm cumin and bright red onion between hearty corn tortillas.

For entertaining, I cook the sausage and onions and assemble the quesadillas ahead of time. Stack them in the fridge, then pull them out and crisp them up for quick, hot snacks.

Peach and Sausage Quesadillas

Serves 8 as an hors d’oeuvre or 4 as a meal

Sweet peaches, rich pork sausage and sharp cheddar cheese melts between tortillas for a not-so-traditional take on this Mexican snack. Chinese 5 spice powder and soy sauce offer a subtle, unexpected note to this quick, fresh, delicious summer snacks. Perfect party food!

Ingredients:

• 5-6 tbs olive oil

• 3 pork sausages*

• 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder

• 1 tbs soy sauce

• 1 red onion, diced

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1 tbs Sherry vinegar

• 8 6” corn or flour tortillas - see tip below

• 2 - 3 cups grated Cheddar cheese

• 3 peaches, peeled and thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup chopped basil

*Lots of different sausages work well for these. The fennel in sweet Italian sausages echos the star anise in the Chinese 5 spice powder. Mexican Chorizo works well too for a little bit of heat. Avoid sausages with sage.

Directions:

• Cook sausage: Warm 1 tbs olive oil in a 12” skillet over medium heat. Squeeze the sausage from the casings and sauté, breaking it up with a wooden spatula until crumbled, browned and cooked through. Add Chinese 5 spice powder and soy sauce. Stir through and cook for 1 minute. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and reserve

• Add 1 tbs olive oil to pan and sauté onion until softened and edges begin to brown. Return sausage to pan. Season with cumin, vinegar salt and pepper.

• Assemble quesadillas: Place one tortilla on cutting board. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese.. Layer with about 1/4 sausage mixture, 1/4 of the peach slices, and 1 tbs basil. Top with 1/4 cup additional cheese and a second tortilla.

• Cook quesadillas: Warm 1 tbs oil in a 10” skillet over medium heat. Add one quesadilla and cook to toast tortillas and melt cheese, about 3 minutes per side. Flip over once when the tortilla begins to brown in spots. Slice into wedges and serve.

TIP: A pizza cutter is your best friend for slicing these without pushing all the filling out the sides.

TIP: I prefer the flavor of corn tortillas but they are more delicate. Flour tortillas are easier to work with and won’t break while flipping.