Drunken Peaches and Cream
Peaches and cream, a classic summer treat and a combo as natural as peanut butter and jelly. The best peaches and cream is made with crème anglaise, which is made with cream, milk, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla, exactly the same ingredients in vanilla ice cream. So I no longer bother making crème anglaise, I just melt vanilla ice cream, an idea I got from Jacques Pépin, who once told me that my last book reminded him of his magnum opus La Technique. Wow. Then again, we both had been drinking.
MAKES 4 servings
TAKES 45 minutes
1 lemon or lime
1/3 cup dark rum, brandy, bourbon, or rye
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
2 peaches
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
4 scoops best-quality vanilla or butter pecan ice cream
OPTIONAL GARNISHES. Candied pecans or plain pecans bring a nice crunch.
ABOUT THE BOOZE. Stick to brown goods, no peach or flavored brandy.
ABOUT THE MAPLE SYRUP. Real maple syrup, please. I like the darker grades, but I have made this with honey, molasses, and even Lyle’s Golden Syrup.
ABOUT THE PEACHES. There are many varieties of peaches, but they can be divided into two broad categories: Cling and freestone. Cling peaches cling to the pit and it is hard to separate the meat from the pit. Freestones are loosely attached, and when you cut them in half, the pit comes out freely. For grilling, I prefer freestone. If they are a little underripe, they will be easier to grill. Really ripe, soft, juicy peaches get mushy.
ABOUT THE ICE CREAM. This is better with vanilla or butter pecan than chocolate or anything else I’ve tried.
1 FIRE UP. Set up your grill for direct heat cooking about Warp 5. When it is hot, make sure to clean the grates thoroughly so there is no grease top or bottom. If necessary, squirt the hot grates with water to loosen the grease and then brush.
2 MAKE THE SAUCE. While the grill is preheating, extract 1 tablespoon of juice from the lemon or lime and pour it along with the rum, maple syrup, brown sugar, and
salt into a saucepan and melt them together over high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes to drive off the alcohol and thoroughly dissolve the sugar and salt. Watch that it doesn’t foam and overflow. I know you think burning off the alcohol is a waste, but we want the oak flavor not the alcohol. Alcoholcan really detract from the taste.
3 PREP THE PEACHES. Quarter and pit the peaches. Melt the butter and paint the cut sides of the peaches.
4 GRILL. Grill the peaches on the skin sides for about 5 minutes. Flip them over and cook a bit longer on the flesh side until they get some grill marks. Move them to serving bowls or a goblet or a martini glass.
5 SERVE. Scoop the ice cream into the bowl with the peaches , and while the sauce is still warm, pour it over the ice cream so some of it melts into luxurious crème anglaise.
My new book, The Meathead Method, is out May 13. The great Alton Brown said it is “The only book on outdoor cookery you’ll ever need.”
You can pre-order on Amazon at tinyurl.com/meatheadmethod.
If you buy a copy, take a selfie with the book when it arrives, post it on your favorite social media channels, send a link to [email protected] I’ll send you a link where you can download our new eBook on Heavenly Hamburgers.
Peaches and cream, a classic summer treat and a combo as natural as peanut butter and jelly. The best peaches and cream is made with crème anglaise, which is made with cream, milk, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla, exactly the same ingredients in vanilla ice cream. So I no longer bother making crème anglaise, I just melt vanilla ice cream, an idea I got from Jacques Pépin, who once told me that my last book reminded him of his magnum opus La Technique. Wow. Then again, we both had been drinking.
MAKES 4 servings
TAKES 45 minutes
1 lemon or lime
1/3 cup dark rum, brandy, bourbon, or rye
3 tablespoons real maple syrup
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
2 peaches
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
4 scoops best-quality vanilla or butter pecan ice cream
OPTIONAL GARNISHES. Candied pecans or plain pecans bring a nice crunch.
ABOUT THE BOOZE. Stick to brown goods, no peach or flavored brandy.
ABOUT THE MAPLE SYRUP. Real maple syrup, please. I like the darker grades, but I have made this with honey, molasses, and even Lyle’s Golden Syrup.
ABOUT THE PEACHES. There are many varieties of peaches, but they can be divided into two broad categories: Cling and freestone. Cling peaches cling to the pit and it is hard to separate the meat from the pit. Freestones are loosely attached, and when you cut them in half, the pit comes out freely. For grilling, I prefer freestone. If they are a little underripe, they will be easier to grill. Really ripe, soft, juicy peaches get mushy.
ABOUT THE ICE CREAM. This is better with vanilla or butter pecan than chocolate or anything else I’ve tried.
1 FIRE UP. Set up your grill for direct heat cooking about Warp 5. When it is hot, make sure to clean the grates thoroughly so there is no grease top or bottom. If necessary, squirt the hot grates with water to loosen the grease and then brush.
2 MAKE THE SAUCE. While the grill is preheating, extract 1 tablespoon of juice from the lemon or lime and pour it along with the rum, maple syrup, brown sugar, and
salt into a saucepan and melt them together over high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes to drive off the alcohol and thoroughly dissolve the sugar and salt. Watch that it doesn’t foam and overflow. I know you think burning off the alcohol is a waste, but we want the oak flavor not the alcohol. Alcoholcan really detract from the taste.
3 PREP THE PEACHES. Quarter and pit the peaches. Melt the butter and paint the cut sides of the peaches.
4 GRILL. Grill the peaches on the skin sides for about 5 minutes. Flip them over and cook a bit longer on the flesh side until they get some grill marks. Move them to serving bowls or a goblet or a martini glass.
5 SERVE. Scoop the ice cream into the bowl with the peaches , and while the sauce is still warm, pour it over the ice cream so some of it melts into luxurious crème anglaise.
My new book, The Meathead Method, is out May 13. The great Alton Brown said it is “The only book on outdoor cookery you’ll ever need.”
You can pre-order on Amazon at tinyurl.com/meatheadmethod.
If you buy a copy, take a selfie with the book when it arrives, post it on your favorite social media channels, send a link to [email protected] I’ll send you a link where you can download our new eBook on Heavenly Hamburgers.
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