Life's a Peach
As I have said in other posts, I really enjoy the summertime produce in our local markets. Today we get to combine two summertime greats, peaches and grilling. Thanks for the peaches, Beth! Today’s dish is grilled peaches with brown sugar butter sauce and toasted pecans. This is a really simple, quick and delicious summertime recipe. The best peaches I have ever eaten are from Chilton County Alabama. When I was a young kid, we would go to the Gulf of Mexico for vacation and we would always stop in Chilton County to get a basket of peaches for our trip. I remember the peaches being sweet and juicy just like natural candy. Let’s get started preparing this summertime favorite.
Ingredients:
2 peaches (1 peach per person at a minimum)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of butter (one tablespoon of butter per peach)
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional if you like spicy hot stuff)
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 cup of pecans (whole or pieces)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
Preparation: (about 25 mins)
Set up your cutting board with a towel, knife and peaches
Cut peaches in half, starting at the stem and rotating around the whole peach
Remove the peach pits with your fingers, apply gentle pressure and the pit should pop right out
In a mixing bowl, add the peaches and olive oil and toss them to coat.
Place peaches on a plate and lightly salt each one. Let the peaches sit for a minimum of 15 minutes after salting
Take a small sauté pan and toast the pecans over medium heat until a nutty aroma appears. This usually takes around 8 to 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the pecans from the heat and let cool. Note: if the pecans are whole, chop them into quarters or large pieces
In the same sauté pan, add butter, brown sugar, cayenne (if desired), cinnamon and vanilla. Bring to simmer and combine.
After the butter comes together, add the pecans and coat them in the sauce.
Put the peaches on the grill flesh side down for 8 to 10 minutes
Flip and grill for another 5 minutes
After 15 minutes on the grill, remove the peaches and let them sit for 5 minutes
Spoon the brown sugar pecan sauce over the top
Bon Appetit!