Grilled Peaches with Crumbled Amaretti and Balsamic Glaze

Peaches are at their peak of freshness now.  And oh are they ever sweet and juicy!  Perfect to make Grilled Peaches with Crumbled Amaretti and Balsamic Glaze.    They aren’t the most beautiful things to eat, though. 

My mother always said in Italian, “Brutto ma bello!”  Ugly but good!  And that’s what this peach dessert is . . . “brutto ma bello!”

But just look at the simple beauty of the unadorned peach!   The grill pan that I used was perfectly hot and the marks on each peach took just about 6 minutes to sear into fruit.   You can leave the skin on or off, whichever way you prefer.  I left them on to help retain some of the juices to use in a smoothie or a cocktail.

For the mascarpone cream, you simply add honey to the mascarpone until it is as sweet as you like it.  I used about ¾ cup of local honey.  Then I added ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, but that’s an option you can leave out if you wish.

With a spoon, place some of the sweet mascarpone cream on top of the grilled peaches.

Drizzle some balsamic glaze all over the top of the peaches.  Sprinkle some amaretti cookie crumbles on top.  

Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Serve with 1 – 2 amaretti cookies.

Buon Appetito!

“Only use this aged Balsamico on fresh fruit, Roz!”

Culinary words of wisdom spoken from my cousin, Silvia, in Modena, Italy, about my family’s 35-year old aged “ aceto di balsamico” (balsamic vinegar), as she lovingly gave me a precious bottle to bring home to the States.

The sweetness and syrupy-thickness of my family’s balsamic vinegar cannot be priced, because its beautiful deliciousness is completely PRICELESS in the love and passion put into its production!  Added to the fact that I have a family in Modena, Italy, who produce their own private barrels of balsamico in the only Italian city where the production of Balsamic Vinegar qualifies for earning the authentic stamp of approval from the entire country of Italy!

my cousin Silvia with her barrels of “aceto di balsamico” in Modena, Italy

my cousin, Enrico, with his aged barrels of “aceto di balsamico” in Modena, Italy

feelings of ‘joy and gratitude’
from the receipt of my family’s Balsamic Vinegar
in Modena, Italy

That’s a pretty BIG DEAL!

On top of that, it is truly a BLESSING to have such kind and generous relatives in Italy!

two bottles of age-old thick and syrupy Balsamico Vinegar
from my family’s (Santi and Gualdi) barrels in Modena, Italy

. . . well, that makes this brown sweet-sour vinegar simply SPECIAL!

And grilled peaches . . . who would have known how yummy they are?  The grilling just amps up the sweetness of the ripe peaches!  Heavenly!

I’m not going to ramble on about this recipe . . . it is perfection and was given to me by my cousins in Italy, where they know how to prepare food in its splendid simplicity.  The Italian Mascarpone was sweetened by locally-produced wildflower honey.

A simply exquisite combination!  The fresh honey added to my family’s thick and aged sweet Balsamic vinegar took a simple peach to dessert nirvana!

Even Mr. Meat and Potatoes who is skeptical of unusual food recipes RAVED about the entire combination of this dessert!  And that is saying a lot for a guy who only asks for strawberry ice cream!

If that isn’t a sign of the utmost approval, well then, I don’t know what is!

Want to know how to make your American friends enjoy this even more?  Serve these on top of vanilla ice cream!  Oh yum!

I hope that you enjoy this delicious recipe!  Get ready for a taste sensation on your taste buds!

Thick Balsamic Syrup drizzled over the
Mascarpone Cream
and Grilled Peaches!

Please share the love and pin this vertical image:

Here’s a great balsamic to use in the kitchen that won’t break the bank in cost.   I know that you’ll enjoy it too!Blazing  Bella Balsamic Vinegar from Modena, Italy

Lazzaroni Original Italian Amaretti Cookies

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Yield: 4 servings

Grilled Peaches with Crumbled Amaretti and Balsamic Glaze

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Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• Sweet Balsamic Glaze/Syrup
• ½ cup of the HIGHEST QUALITY Balsamic Vinegar that you can buy
• 1 Tbsp. honey (preferably local), use more if you want the syrup to be sweeter
• 1 cup Italian Mascarpone cheese
• 3 Tbsp. honey (sweeten the Mascarpone to your taste preference)
• 2 peaches (halved, pitted, and skin removed)
• Garnish: fresh mint sprigs
• 4 Italian Amaretto Cookies, roughly crushed

Instructions

1. In a small pan, heat the balsamic vinegar with the honey (add to your taste preference).
2. After about 10 minutes when the honey-balsamic mixture is thick and syrupy, remove from heat.
3. Blend the Mascarpone cheese with the honey, I used a good ¼ cup since we like sweeter desserts.
4. Grill peaches with the cut side placed down on the grill, about 5 - 8 minutes until dark char marks appear.
5. Place the grilled peaches on pretty serving dishes and top with the honey-sweetened Mascarpone cheese.
6. Drizzle the Balsamic glaze/syrup over the peaches and Mascarpone cheese.
7. Sprinkle crushed Amaretto cookies all over the top of each peach.
8. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Lazzaroni Amaretti Di Saronno, 7.05 Ounce
• 
  Le Creuset Enamaled Cast Iron Square Grill, 9.5", Cerise
• 
  Blazing Bella Traditional Aged Balsamic Vinegar - Modena Italy Premium Reserve 16.9 fl.oz (500ml)

Tips for Preparing Grilled Peaches and Balsamic Glaze:

• Always use freshly picked, ripe off the tree peaches.  The best come from the peach farm stands or roadside stands and farmers’ markets.  Those in the grocery stores are usually picked before they are ripe and they lack the flavor of the freshly picked, ripe peaches.
• Free-stone peaches are easier to remove the pits and my family personally prefers their flavor and texture better.
• Don’t over grill the peaches.
• Both gas and charcoal grills work equally well.
• It is imperative to purchase the highest quality of Italian Balsamic Vinegar produced only from Modena, Italy where the product is protected by the Italian government.  No other place in Italy is allowed to produce balsamic vinegar outside of Modena.
• When purchasing balsamic vinegar from Italy, beware of the lower quality varieties with high prices.  There are only a few good brands.  Every Modenese home has its own balsamic vinegar barrels in its ‘cellar’ with starters that are centuries old passed down through generations of family.
• Try to use organic and local honey and support your local beekeepers.
• Serve immediately.
• ENJOY WITH A CHILLED GLASS OF VENETIAN PROSECCO!!!
• SALUTE’!

the Balsamic glaze/syrup is so thick!

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this recipe was originally published in 2014 and is posted again in 2021 with updated information and photos.