Nothing says summer like fragrant, juicy peaches. Their sweet, tangy flesh also makes the ideal base for a variety of summer smoothies.

Peaches have a subtle flavor that can easily be masked by stronger ones, so if you want the peach to shine, stick to ingredients that enhance their floral quality.

Here, I add a pinch of fresh ginger, vanilla and a touch of honey -- along with soaked cashews, which create a velvety texture when blended with fruit. Freezing the peaches beforehand results in an ultra-thick and creamy smoothie that goes down well on hot, humid days.

For best results, use only perfectly ripe peaches here. Once ripe, they can be frozen for up to a year and used any time you want a taste of summer.

Drain and rinse cashews and place in a blender. Break up the frozen peaches and add them to the blender along with almond milk, vanilla, ginger and honey. Blend until smooth, stopping to stir mixture if it's too thick to blend.

Amy Chaplin is a chef and recipe developer in New York City. Her cookbook At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen will be available fall 2014. She blogs at Coconut & Quinoa.