Batidos de Melocotón

Peach shakes! Seeing as how the husband is Cuban, this is the first of many recipes adapted from Cuban flavors and cooking styles. These shakes are amazing. Although I used peaches for our batidos, you could use any tropical fruit (guava, papaya, pineapple, passion fruit, etc.) as long as you make sure it's starch free. I know that mangoes and bananas are starchy, so people keeping starch free should stay away from those. I think berries and melons would work too, they're just not traditionally used in batidos. But neither are peaches, so there you go. I used this recipe from Cook's Illustrated, The Best International Recipe cookbook.

Batidos (Fruit Shakes) 
serves 4
3 1/2 cups ripe fruit, cut into 1-inch chunks (I used unpeeled peaches because I don't mind the skins, but if that bothers you, just peel them first)
2 cups ice
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 tablespoon sugar, plus extra to taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt

Purée the ingredients in a blender until smooth and frothy, 20-30 seconds. Add additional sugar to taste and serve immediately. With colorful straws!

Drained canned fruit and frozen fruit can be substituted for the fresh but if you're using frozen fruit, don't thaw and substitute water for the ice.