Grilled Peaches with Ginger-Caramel Sauce

OK, so I made these almost a month ago while I was down in Florida for Labor Day weekend and am only now getting around to posting this (hey, I have a wedding to plan! Cut me some slack!). Yes, it’s officially Fall now, but I think we might have one warm weekend left in store (at least I’m hoping we do) so this summer dessert might not be totally useless just yet.

I have to admit that I totally cribbed the idea for this from my friend John, who introduced me to the deliciousness that is grilled peaches the night of the Great Blackout in NYC in August 2003. I think he used amaretto on his, but seeing as how I made this on a Sunday, liquor was out of the question, so I turned to ginger and caramel. Ginger and peach always go great together, and the rich caramel flavor provides a nice foil to the bright sweetness of the peaches.

You could totally do this on an indoor grill, but it would defeat the purpose of grilling a simple yet sophisticated dessert after having some burgers and beers with your friends, don’t you think?

Grilled Peaches with Ginger-Caramel Sauce
(serves 8)

4 peaches (they should not be very ripe)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Pinch each of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg
2 1/8” slices of ginger
½ cup sliced almonds
1 pint good-quality vanilla ice cream

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Heat a grill to medium.

Slice each peach in half and pop out the pits. Set the peach halves aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the water, honey, both sugars, spices, and ginger. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the mixture is thick and syrupy, about 15 minutes. Discard the ginger.

After the sauce has come to a boil, liberally brush each peach half with it and place them cut-side down on the grill. (Or, if you’re in someone else’s kitchen and they don’t have a brush, just dunk the peaches into the pot. Works just as well, if not better.)

Grill the peaches until they are tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. If the peaches start to burn, turn the heat down or move them to the top rack. (If they do get a bit charred, don’t worry – you can just peel off the charred parts. No one will know.)

While the peaches are grilling, toast the almonds by arranging them in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate and heating on medium power for 3 minutes, making sure to toss the almonds every minute. Alternately, you could toast them in a pan set over the grill, but I would totally burn them if I did because I am a grill amateur.

For each serving, place one peach half on a plate, top with a few spoonfuls of the syrup, top with a small scoop of ice cream, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of almonds. Serve immediately.