With summer almost here, stone fruits are just beginning to show up in some local markets. It is still a little early in the season, but the produce bins were stocked with white and yellow peaches, and even donut peaches for the Memorial Day weekend. I grabbed some ripe ones to have on hand for holiday guests who were visiting to unofficially kick off the summer.
In the early morning I was up long before anyone else in the house. I had good intentions of making a big and healthy fruit salad for everyone. Somehow, I got sidetracked when I saw that the Foreman Grill was still sitting on the kitchen counter from the previous night’s meal. So, I decided to grill some of the peaches, which I had never done on this type of grill before. There were 2 attempts resulting in different results, which I will share. The house smelled really sweet all morning.
Peaches are Good for You!
Peaches have negligible fat and no cholesterol. They are a moderate source of dietary fiber and a good source of vitamins A and C. The deeper colored flesh peaches contain more beta-carotene that converts into vitamin A when consumed. Vitamin A is necessary for good vision. Vitamin C is what keeps our immune systems working to fight infections. And, peaches are so juicy and sweet – hard to resist.
How to Grill Peaches
My first attempt at grilling peaches on the George Foreman Grill was with the top closed. This resulted in mushy fruit with blackened skin, which is not what I was going for. My intention was to retain a little of the sturdy flesh while slightly caramelizing it and leaving the skin looking pink and fresh. The second attempt was with the grill open. That resulted in successful grill marks on the flesh side and skin side still intact and looking vibrant.
Basic Grilled Peaches Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 Ripe pink or yellow peaches
- 1 TBS butter
Total time:5 min – Prep time:1 min – Cook time:4 min – Serves:2 people
Author: Diana
Directions:
1. Slice the peaches in half all the way around the stones. Remove the stones and discard.
2. Heat the Foreman Grill to high.
3. Butter the bottom grill plate. Place the peach halves flesh side down on the hot grill. Do not close the grill! Grill the peaches for 3 or 4 minutes until just caramelized and showing nice marks. You can just as easily do this on a George Foreman indoor/outdoor grill.
4. Slice the peaches and place on a plate. You can drizzle honey on them if you want more sweetness.
Here is where it got interesting. I did not drizzle the honey on the peaches. I just left them on the plate with a fork and walked away to do something else. I never got around to making the fruit salad. I left bananas and blueberries on the counter next to the peaches.
As people started waking up and making their way to the kitchen, I could hear “mmmmm”s every few minutes. So, I went back into the kitchen to find that most of the sliced, grilled peaches were gone. Some people had just eaten them right off of the plate. Others put them in yogurt that we had on hand. And one guest asked if I had any ice cream to have with the peaches. Yes, they were that good just simply grilled.
What Else Can You Do With Grilled Peaches?
Grilling peaches brings out the sugars, making them even sweeter than they already are. They naturally lend themselves well to desserts, sweet fruit salsas, and even cocktails. Here is a grilled peach cocktail that has a hot summer evening written all over it.
Grilled Peach and Bourbon Cocktail
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Grilled peach, sliced into 4 wedges
- 2 tsps sugar (or simple syrup)
- 2 Leaves of fresh mint + 1 for garnish
- 2 Dashes of angostura bitters
- 2 tsps fresh lemon juice (meyer lemon juice is preferable)
- 2 Ounces of good bourbon
- Ice
Directions:
1. Prepare the peaches as described in the Basic Grilled Peaches Recipe. Slice half a peach into 4 wedges.
2. Muddle 2 of the peach wedges with the sugar, 2 mint leaves, angostura bitters, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker or mortar and pestle. Add the bourbon and shake or stir to just mix. Pour into a glass filled to the top with ice. Garnish with 2 peach wedges and a mint leaf.
Sit on the front porch or back patio and sip.
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