Vanilla Spice-Rubbed Grilled Peaches With Fresh Goat Cheese
"These are like little warm peach pies--without the crust! You can serve the peaches with vanilla ice cream instead of the goat cheese. Adapted from a recipe by chef Tom Douglas by way of the Chicago Tribune."
photo by PaulaG
- Ready In:
- 25mins
- Ingredients:
- 7
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
-
For the vanilla spice rub
- 1⁄4 cup sugar
- 1⁄4 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
- 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-
For the Peaches
- 2 peaches (or nectarines)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese (1/4 cup)
directions
- Prepare a grill for medium direct heat.
- For the rub, put the sugar in a small bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the sugar using the tip of a sharp paring knife (tuck the bean into a bowl of sugar for vanilla sugar).
- Mix the vanilla seeds with the sugar, using the tips of your fingers to break up clumps. Stir in the pepper and cinnamon.
- Cut the peaches in half; remove the pits. Brush the cut sides lightly with oil; sprinkle generously with the spice rub (you will not use all the spice rub -- reserve the remaining for another use).
- Place the peaches, cut sides up, on a lightly oiled grill; grill until the peaches are starting to soften and the skin side is marked by the grill, about 3 minutes.
- Turn; grill until the sugar is nicely golden and caramelized, about 2 minutes (move to a cooler part of the grill if they are browning too quickly).
- Turn the peaches cut-side up again; place 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese in the center of each.
- Grill peaches until goat cheese is warmed and just beginning to melt, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter.
- Sprinkle the goat cheese with a little more of the spice rub.
- Serve hot.
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Reviews
-
This is a lovely, quickly prepared dessert. The peaches soften, but remain firm enough to slice with a fork. The vanilla brings out the freshness of the peaches. The sugar blends with the peach juice and caramelizes a bit under the grill. Soft goat cheese balances the sweetness of the rest of the dessert. I liked this; if you want the dessert to be very sweet, use ice cream. This is a delicious summer dessert. -
Truly an outstanding recipe. It was so easy and so delicious. It was made with large fresh peaches.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Chef Kate
Annapolis, 60
<p>I have always loved to cook. When I was little, I cooked with my Grandmother who had endless patience and extraordinary skill as a baker. And I cooked with my Mother, who had a set repertoire, but taught me many basics. Then I spent a summer with a French cousin who opened up a whole new world of cooking. And I grew up in New York City, which meant that I was surrounded by all varieties of wonderful food, from great bagels and white fish to all the wonders of Chinatown and Little Italy, from German to Spanish to Mexican to Puerto Rican to Cuban, not to mention Cuban-Chinese. And my parents loved good food, so I grew up eating things like roasted peppers, anchovies, cheeses, charcuterie, as well as burgers and the like. In my own cooking I try to use organics as much as possible; I never use canned soup or cake mix and, other than a cheese steak if I'm in Philly or pizza by the slice in New York, I don't eat fast food. So, while I think I eat and cook just about everything, I do have friends who think I'm picky--just because the only thing I've ever had from McDonald's is a diet Coke (and maybe a frie or two). I have collected literally hundreds of recipes, clipped from the Times or magazines, copied down from friends, cajoled out of restaurant chefs. Little by little, I am pulling out the ones I've made and loved and posting them here. Maybe someday, every drawer in my apartment won't crammed with recipes. (Of course, I'll always have those shelves crammed with cookbooks.) I'm still amazed and delighted by the friendliness and the incredible knowledge of the people here. 'Zaar has been a wonderful discovery for me.</p>
