6 Chilton County peaches dishes you must try this summer

It’s peak peach season in Alabama.

And with the possible exception of college football season, it’s our favorite time of the year.

Chilton County peaches are in abundance at restaurants all over the state — featured in everything from cobblers to fried pies, cocktails to ice creams, even on pizzas.

Here are a few that have piqued our interest so far this summer.

Please tell us where to find more.

The Chilton County peach pizza with Conecuh Sausage and bacon at Pizzeria GM in Homewood celebrates two iconic Alabama foods.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])

Chilton County peach pizza with Conecuh Sausage at Pizzeria GM in Homewood

Two great Alabama foods converge to create one delicious dish with the Chilton County peach and Conecuh Sausage pizza at Pizzeria GM in West Homewood. Available from May until August, the seasonal pie features Durbin Farms peaches, Conecuh Sausage and Conecuh bacon with buffalo mozzarella, basil, and an Eastaboga Bee Company honey balsamic drizzle. Think of it as your dream Alabama summer on a pizza. “People keep asking me for it in the winter,” Pizzeria GM chef and co-owner Giani Respinto has said. “I have to keep trying to explain to them: How long have y’all lived here? Do peaches grow in the winter?” No, but we sure wish they did.

Pizzeria GM is at 600 Oak Grove Road in Homewood. The phone is 205-905-3266. For more information, go here.

Heirloom tomato and Chilton County peach salad at Hummingbird Way in Mobile, Ala.(Photo courtesy of The Hummingbird Way; used with permission)

Heirloom tomato and Chilton County peach salad at The Hummingbird Way Oyster Bar in Mobile

Nothing says summertime in Alabama like heirloom tomatoes and Chilton County peaches. And at his inviting seafood restaurant and oyster bar in Mobile’s charming Oakleigh neighborhood, Jim Smith — a Great American Seafood Cook-Off champion and former executive chef at the Alabama Governor’s Mansion — blends the best of both worlds in a colorful summer salad that is both locally sourced and seasonally inspired.

The Hummingbird Way Oyster Bar is at 351 George St. in Mobile. The phone is 251-408-9562. For more information, go here.

Peach Melba at Odette in Florence

At Florence favorite Odette, one of the star attractions on executive chef Josh Quick’s dessert menu is his inspired peach Melba, a distinctive dish named for the Australian opera singer Nellie Melba and created by famed French chef Auguste Escoffier in the 1890s. Legend has it that Escoffier was so moved after hearing Melba perform that came up with his dessert to honor her. At Odette, the peach Melba features poached Chilton County peaches served with buttermilk ice cream, raspberry sauce and a pound cake crumble. We say, “Brava!” to that.

Odette is at 120 North Court St. in Florence. The phone is 256-349-5219. For more information, go here.

Peach Park in Clanton, Ala. — This peach cobbler topped with a scoop of peach ice cream from Peach Park in Clanton offers a double dose of peachy goodness.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])

Peach cobbler with peach ice cream at Peach Park in Clanton

To truly savor the lusciousness of everything the Chilton County peach has to offer, you need to get in your car and go to where they are grown. (And if you’re so inspired, pick your own.) At the tourist-friendly Peach Park in Clanton — the Disneyland of peaches — you’ll find everything from peach ice cream to peach milk shakes to peach cobbler to fried peach pies — along with plenty of rocking chairs, swings and picnic tables for you to sit and enjoy your dessert. For a double dose of peachy indulgence, we prefer the peach cobbler topped with a scoop of peach ice cream.

Peach Park is at 2300 Seventh St. South in Clanton. The phone is 205-77-2065. For more information, go here.

Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant Chilton County peach cornbread pudding — The Chilton County peach cornbread pudding at Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant in Birmingham is served with house-made vanilla ice cream.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])

Peach cornbread pudding with vanilla ice cream at Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant in Birmingham

Chris Ippolito is crushing it since taking over the helm as the executive chef at the Cuban-inspired Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant earlier this spring, with his creative takes on some old Caribbean classics. And, oh those desserts. In the spirit of the summer, though, let us recommend the peach cornbread pudding with house-made vanilla ice cream, a warm and filling exclamation point to whatever your meal.

Cayo Coco Rum Bar & Restaurant is at 2015 First Ave. North, Unit A, in Birmingham. The phone is 205-290-5115. For more information, go here.

Big Spoon Creamery peach ice cream cone — This waffle cone from Big Spoon Creamery has a scoop of peach buttermilk ice cream and a scoop of bourbon pecan peach cobbler ice cream.(Bob Carlton/[email protected])

Peach buttermilk ice cream + bourbon pecan peach cobbler ice cream at Big Spoon Creamery in Birmingham, Homewood and Huntsville

Big Spoon Creamery, which is celebrating its 10th birthday this year, offers two peach ice cream flavors this summer — peach buttermilk, created by swirling Mountain View Orchards peach sorbet with a tangy buttermilk ice cream, and bourbon pecan peach cobbler, with vanilla bean ice cream, cooked-down bourbon, peaches, and toasted pecan cobbler biscuit chunks. Torn between the two? Why not order a scoop of both? And get a pint of each to take home with you?

Big Spoon Creamery is at has locations in at 4000 Third Ave. South in Birmingham, at 927 Oxmoor Road in Homewood, and at 201 Jefferson St. North, Suite 6, in Huntsville. For more information, go here.