Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Mascarpone

Grilled peaches are a terrific fruity and refreshing dessert to offer up during grilling season. Mouthwateringly juicy and glossy, and with a slightly caramelized flavor, my grilled peaches recipe features a divinely sweet and creamy vanilla mascarpone filling as a bit of a “gourmet” topper, plus some toasted hazelnuts for crunch!

Grilled Peaches, a Juicy and Deliciously Sweet Fruity Treat

Nothing compares to summer peaches in their perfect ripeness, when their sweet-tangy juices run plentiful and their candy-like, almost floral aroma enlivens and completely captures one's tastebuds and sense of smell.

Whenever our local market begins stocking those extra-large cardboard boxes of those lovely peaches, I'm sure to snap some up for us so we can enjoy them straight out of the fridge, or sliced into our morning oatmeal or yogurt.

But when I'm looking to make a bit of a more decedent dessert out of peaches, I've found one of the most flavorful ways to enjoy them is to brush them with small amount of agave and grill them up until slightly softened and delectably warm, glossy and juicy.

Then, the peaches take on a caramelized flavor, which really contrasts deliciously with their natural tanginess and floral notes.

I even like to give my grilled peaches recipe a bit of a more decadent, gourmet twist by adding a little dollop of cool and creamy vanilla mascarpone into the cavity of each peach, and garnishing them with some toasted hazelnuts and fresh mint.

A grilled peaches dessert is an easy homemade dessert to whip up, one that's not only wonderfully mouthwatering, but practically guilt-free!

How to Grill Peaches

When peaches are at their peak of ripeness and freshness, they're naturally quite sweet and juicy, and pretty much perfectly ready for the grill just as they are.

However, I like to brush each cut side with a little bit of agave (or even honey) to help the peaches take on some caramel flavor, and create a beautifully golden, glossy result.

As far as the grill is concerned, you could use either an outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan, depending on your preference. If I already have my outdoor grill fired up and ready, I'll simply grill the peaches using that. But for convenience, I just use my trusty little indoor grill pan to do the trick.

It only takes a few minutes to get the peaches warm, juicy and slightly softened, complete with pretty, crosshatch grill marks when you give them a little turn halfway through their grilling.

And to make grilled peaches extra scrumptious and a bit more special, my vanilla mascarpone filling is a super easy, sweet and creamy topping that I love to dollop into each cavity before garnishing and serving.

Here's a at my grilled peaches with vanilla mascarpone recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get stared, I whisk together the ingredients for my vanilla mascarpone, and keep that cold in the fridge until ready to use.
2. Next, I preheat my grill pan slowly until nice and hot. As the pan heats, I brush the cut side of each peach with a little agave.
3. Working in batches, I place the peaches, cut-side down, onto my grill pan and allow them to grill for a couple of minutes; then, I turn the peaches slightly to create crosshatch grill marks, and continue to grill for a couple minutes more, until slightly softened, juicy and caramelized (note that I only grill the cut side of the peaches, and not the skin side.)
4. To serve, I dollop a bit of the vanilla mascarpone in the center of each grilled peach, and sprinkle over some chopped, toasted hazelnuts and some fresh mint.

Recipe

Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Mascarpone

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These grilled peaches are the perfect juicy summer dessert, dolloped with sweet and creamy vanilla mascarpone!

Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 8

Nutrition Info: 210 calories per grilled peach half (with 1 ounce vanilla mascarpone)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cold mascarpone cheese
• 4 tablespoons agave, divided use
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 ripe yet slightly firm peaches, halved and pit removed
• 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped, for garnish
• Mint leaves, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Spoon the cold mascarpone into a small bowl, and drizzle in 2 tablespoons of the agave, plus the vanilla extract; using a fork, gently blend just until combined, taking care not to over-mix the mascarpone as it has a tendency to then become grainy; cover and chill.
2. Place your grill pan over medium-high heat; while it heats, brush some of the remaining 2 tablespoons of the agave over the cut side of the peaches, and place a batch onto the hot grill pan, cut side down; grill for a couple of minutes, then turn slightly the created a cross-hatch, and grill for another couple of minutes just until golden-brown and slightly softened; repeat with remaining peaches.
3. Once all are grilled, finish by adding a creamy dollop of the vanilla mascarpone into the center of each grilled peach, then sprinkle over a little of the chopped hazelnuts; to serve, add an additional drizzle of the agave, if desired, and a sprinkle of mint.

Tips & Tidbits for my Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Mascarpone:

• Choose ripe and slightly soft peaches: While you definitely will want to choose nice, ripe, sweet peaches that have some give to them and a bit of softness, avoid ones that are too mushy as they will not hold their shape and break down. If they're too ripe, they will also be challenging to cut cleanly and remove the pit.
• Brush on the agave or honey for sweetness: I opt for agave here because I like the neutral flavor, but honey will work well too. I brush a touch onto the cut side of the peaches to help them caramelize on the grill a bit, and create a little extra sweetness and flavor.
• Vanilla mascarpone, a creamy topper: While you can certainly omit this element, it truly is so very delicious on these grilled peaches! Simply use a fork to gently blend together some mascarpone cheese with a hint of agave and pure vanilla extract, taking care not to over-mix to keep the mixture smooth. Then, keep cold until ready to use.
• A sprinkle of hazelnuts and hint of mint: I love to garnish these grilled peaches with a sprinkle of toasted hazelnuts for crunch and a whisper of mint leaves—makes for a pretty presentation!

Craving for more summery desserts? Check out this Peach Galette, this Summer Fruit Crostata, this Berry Crisp, this Rainbow Fruit Salad, or this Nectarine Crumb Tart!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2016, and has been updated with even more love!