Brown Butter Grilled Peaches with Honey and Vanilla Ice Cream

I bought a few peaches at the farm stand on the way home from swim practice this week. All lined up on the window sill in my kitchen to finish ripening, my kids wouldn’t leave them alone. ‘Are they ready yet?’ ‘Can I eat one now?’ I tried to hold them off for a day but eventually gave in and watched my supply dwindle from eight to four in an afternoon. Although to be fair, I was having a hard time waiting too.

I had planned to make a little pie or possibly a peach crisp with our first peaches of the season but clearly that wasn’t going to happen. So instead, I took the still-slightly-firm peaches and grilled them on the barbecue. The result was a tender intensely flavored peach with just the right amount of sweetness balanced perfectly with a hint of cinnamon and creamy cold vanilla ice cream.

I think this will be my go-to dessert for the rest of the summer. Start to finish the whole process took just a few minutes to throw together with ingredients I always have on hand. I think next time I’ll experiment with some crumbled graham crackers or toasted coconut flakes for an extra special touch.

I always appreciate when a few simple ingredients come together to make something really special. If you make this recipe, let me know how you made it your own. You could also grill slices of store-bought pound cake, using the same process as the peaches for a heartier dessert. A drizzle of Copper Pot Caramel Sauce would be a lovely addition as well.

Brown Butter Grilled Peaches with Honey and Vanilla Ice Cream

·         4-6 peaches sliced in half, pit removed

·         1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (any raw sugar will do)

·         3 tablespoons salted butter

·         1 1/12 tablespoons honey

·         ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

·         Vanilla ice cream

Preheat your grill to medium. Scrape any charred bits from the grill so you have a cleanish area for the peaches. Slice the peaches in half and remove their pits. No need to peel their skin off. Set aside.

In a small sauce pan or skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown until it smells toasted and is a deep golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Stir often. Remove from the heat and transfer the butter to a bowl. Stir in the honey and cinnamon.

To grill the peaches, sprinkle the peaches with the turbinado sugar. Place them flesh-side down on the grill for 2-3 minutes or until grill marks appear. Flip and grill another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Remove from grill and divide into shallow bowls. Drizzle with honey butter and a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Store extra honey butter in a container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Allow the butter return to room temperature before spreading on toast or English muffins for the rest of the week