Caramelized Peaches & Blueberry cream

peaches (1 of 1)

This uncomplicated dessert makes the most of fresh peaches (even if they are not ripe) as roasting fresh fruits brings out even more of the fruit’s natural sweetness. So I wanted to share this dessert recipe as it is great for midsummer as it requires little effort and is quick and tasty to whip up for last-minute unexpected guests.

Caramelizing the peaches with a sprinkle of brown sugar and cinnamon creates that lovely glaze on top, while the blueberry cream almost tastes like cheese cake and is fulfilling with the fruit. The texture is dense and comforting, spot on with the peaches. The salty juices from the skillet round up the sweet flavours as each bite melts in your mouth. I’ve garnished the top with some shaved brazilian nuts, as I love their oily texture and earthy taste along with some coconut flakes and fresh mint. This dish looks quite beautiful and colourful for midsummer, you could even serve many peaches on a large platter with lots of fresh mint/lemon balm and other seasonal berries as well.

Ingredients

Peaches (halved seed removed)
About 2 tablespoons brown sugar
dollop Butter/ olive oil
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

Blueberry cream

150g cream cheese
150g quark
1 cup blueberries
squeeze of lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar

Garnish: Blueberries, mint leaves, ground brazilian nut, coconut flakes

Directions

Halve the peaches and sprinkle with salt. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and add a generous dollop of butter and olive oil. Once melted, add in the peaches and cook until they gain some colour for about 10 minutes. Then stir in the brown sugar & cinnamon in the skillet making sure it goes all over the peaches. Cook for another 10 minutes so the peaches become caramely.

Meanwhile the peaches cook, you can make the blueberry cream. In a blender, add the blueberries and quark, vanilla sugar and lemon juice and blend until smooth. Then place the mixture in a bowl and fold in the cream cheese. Taste the flavour and add more frosting sugar for sweetness or more acidity from the lemon juice. Leave to rest in the fridge until the peaches are cooked.

Ready to plate: place the hot peaches in the bowl along with some of the juices from the pan. Add a scoop of blueberry cream on top along with fresh blueberries. Shave some brazilian nuts on top, sprinkle coconut flakes and add a couple of fresh mint leaves for a touch of green.