Grilled Peaches With Ricotta and Honey

Recipe: Grilled Peaches Recipe »

It's the last vestiges of peach season at the moment and while it's still warm try grilling peaches for an easy, healthy peach dessert! Fresh peaches are basted in honey butter and then grilled until they caramelise. We add a dollop of fresh ricotta on top and a drizzle of honey. This is summer-time in a dessert and perfect if you're looking for something light and healthy after a big meal.

This unseasonably warm weather lately has had us enjoying peaches way into Autumn. And I've been buying a lot of peaches lately just so we can enjoy them as much as possible. And trust me, everyone's eyes light up when you come out with a tray of these grilled peaches with creamy ricotta and honey or ice cream!

Tips For Making Grilled Peaches

1 - Ideally look for free stone peaches but I feel that you can never tell until you buy them and cut them open yourself. Cling stone peaches can also be used but separating the pit is just a bit more time consuming. I use a sharp paring knife to dig around the pit and there was only 1 peach out of the 6 that really proved difficult. You want them firm but ripe.

2 - You can also swap out peaches for nectarines or use white peaches too.

3 - You can add spices like cinnamon or vanilla. I actually love the flavour of honey butter so I leave it as it is.

4 - I keep the grill around 130C/266F so it's not too hot as we want the honey butter to be caramelised/bruleed but not burnt. Cook them for 3-4 minutes on one side and then peek underneath and see how they're going. When ready then flip over and grill the other side.

5 - You can also do this in a cast iron frypan with ridges if you don't have a grill!

6 - If you want your peaches to sit flat on the plate, slice the base off the bottom so that it has a flat edge. I didn't bother doing this but it also helps to grill the bottom side too.

7- I pureed the ricotta so that it had a smoother texture. This is optional.

8 - If you don't have ricotta, try using a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

• Other Peach Recipes You Might Like
• Classic, Perfect Peach Jam
• Peach Crisp
• Peach, Rosemary & Vanilla Tarte Tatin
• Peach, Fig & Goat's Cheese Salad
• Peach Sorbet Iced Tea

I'm sad to see the end of summer and it has really been a beautifully warm summer. I'm not really looking forward to daylight savings because that means everything turns cold and dark and we will really say goodbye to summer fruit like this. There is only one silver lining to daylight savings in a couple of weeks.

We have set up a little home theatre in our bedroom. It's much simpler than it sounds. Our bedroom has a vaulted ceiling which looks nice but is honestly a PITA in most aspects. But because it is angled it is the perfect place to project movies. It feels really quite special lying back on a comfortable bed and watching a movie or tv show like you would gaze at the stars. It's also very relaxing and everyone in the family enjoys movie night in the bed.

One night we were getting ready to watch Drive to Survive and I needed my glasses which were in my office downstairs. And this is the point where I will confess that I am afraid of the dark. Yep the girl who her friends call Morticia is scared of the dark.

"Can you get my glasses?" I asked Mr NQN.

"You'll be fine," said Mr NQN who was busy trying to set the projector up.

"Ok but if I die you'll feel guilty..." I said walking downstairs. I looked at the dark hallway that led to my office and the rooms that lay between me and my glasses. So I yelled in my biggest, loudest man voice, ""Whoever you are down here, I'm a F%^ing LUNATIC!!" because well that was the first thing that came to my mind. It was really not very scary and I made it worse by adding, "I'm NOT NORMAL!". I know, I know, that's the most threatening I could come up with at short notice was a mentally unstable screamer.

Then a light suddenly went on and I screamed. It turned out that Mr NQN had recently rigged motion sensor lights in the hallway for when I come home from events and am afraid of the dark but I had no idea! I scampered back upstairs with glasses in tow and the only person I scared I'm afraid, was myself.

So tell me Dear Reader, are you afraid of the dark? Do you like the cooler weather? What is your favourite summer fruit?

Grilled Peaches

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 7 minutes

Serves: 6

• 6 peaches, firm but ripe (preferably freestone)
• 2 tablespoons/30g/1oz butter, melted
• 30g/1oz honey
• 200g/7ozs ricotta, can also puree to make smoother
• Extra honey to drizzle

Step 1 - Mix the melted butter and honey together in a small bowl. Heat grill or frypan on medium heat. Cut peaches in half along the ridge line and brush with the honey butter (you can also slice the bottom of each peach if you want it to sit flat). Place cut side down on the grill and grill for 3-4 minutes. Then flip upside down and grill the bottom for 2 minutes.

Step 2 - Remove from the grill and place on a serving plate. Using a spatula place a dollop of ricotta on top of each peach half and then made a little indent on top to catch the honey. Drizzle honey on top and serve. These peaches are best eaten on the day they are made because the caramel becomes a bit watery if refrigerated.