Grilled Peaches with Honey & Cardamom Cream

First, some news: I’ve got a bun in the oven, and not of the Parker House roll variety. That’s right, “Bubby,” as Ella calls her baby sister, is arriving at Christmas! This baby girl has a sweet tooth, or so I’m telling myself, as I fantasize about—and indulge in—billowing bowls of ice cream and warm slabs of pie. We usually reserve desserts for the weekend, but Bubby sometimes requires a mid-week sweet. For those moments, these quick but killer grilled peaches are just the answer. Fresh peaches get a quick bath in honey, vanilla, cardamom and cinnamon, and are grilled until slightly caramelized and warm.The peaches are served with a crème fraiche and cardamom-laced whipped cream, then sprinkled with toasted pecans and drizzled with some of the leftover peach-infused honey. They have been known to incite heavenly sighs and moans (and not just from the pregnant set). If it happens to be Friday, I’ll slice the peaches after they’re off the grill and pile them over vanilla ice cream before adding the cardamom cream and pecans. Holy @#%$, keep the kids out of earshot, as this usually results in curse words of the most angelic sort. It’s a summertime sundae you won’t forget.

Print

Grilled Peaches with Honey & Cardamom Cream

This dessert is super simple but absolutely scrumptious. If I really want to take things over the top, I’ll throw a scoop of vanilla ice cream over the peaches, followed by the cardamom cream and pecans—it’s a sundae nobody will forget.

Servings 4

Author Nicki Sizemore

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract , divided
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom , divided
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 firm but ripe peaches , halved and pitted
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons crème fraiche or sour cream
• Neutral vegetable oil for grill
• Chopped toasted pecans , for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat a grill to medium-high.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the honey, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, ¼ teaspoon of the cardamom and the cinnamon. Add the peaches, and toss to combine. Let sit at room temperature 10-15 minutes.
3. In the meantime, beat the heavy cream with the remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla, the remaining ¼ teaspoon of cardamom and the sugar until soft peaks form. Add the crème fraiche or sour cream and beat to medium peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use. Do Ahead: The cardamom cream can be made up to 2 hours in advance and refrigerated.
4. When ready to grill, brush the grill grates with neutral vegetable oil (I use grapeseed or safflower oil). Using tongs, remove the peaches from the honey mixture and place them cut side down on the grill (reserve the remaining honey mixture). Grill until tender with nice grill marks, about 2-4 minutes. Transfer to a platter or to individual plates and let cool.
5. To serve, top the peaches (warm or room temperature) with a dollop of the cardamom cream and a drizzle of the leftover honey mixture. Sprinkle with chopped toasted pecans, and serve!