Hello there, summer, may I celebrate you with the ultimate summer appetizer/snack/side i.e. grilled peaches? With a light and creamy filling? And a drizzle of black pepper honey? Aaaaand some sliced basil? Good, I’m glad you approve.
A perfectly ripe peach is arguably one of my favorite things in the whole world to eat…it is tender, so sweet, and SO DELICIOUS. I have a hard time finding ripe peaches, but when I do I hoard them to myself. I don’t even like to let Ford eat them because I feel like a one year old can’t appreciate the perfection of a ripe peach…is that weird? Selfish? Make me a bad mom? He can have blueberries while I sit next to him devouring the most delicious peach ever, and I feel okay about that.
Quick grilling the peaches doesn’t cook them all the way through – it just chars the surface, giving the peach so much complexity of flavor and intensifying the sweetness. You guys need to grill some peaches if you haven’t ever done so…this was my first time, aaaaand it won’t be my last!
The rest of the ingredients in this stuffed peach are mostly inspired by these toasts I made a while ago for the blog. They are loaded up with goat cheese, peaches, and basil, and they are quite possibly one of the tastiest things EVA, so I used similar flavors here with the addition of some mascarpone cheese in the filling. Peach and basil together is just 👌. CHOICE.
The black pepper honey, on the other hand, has a different inspiration. My in-laws’ favorite restaurant where they live in Cary, North Carolina has a pizza topped with spicy sausage and black pepper honey. I visited, I ate said pizza, and I have been dreaming about it since. Seth and I have since made our own version of the pizza (BAE), and now I’m determined to top every foreseeable food item in my future with black pepper honey if it has even the potential of sounding yummy. Which it did here, and it did not disappoint, friends!
These peaches are:
- Slightly smokey from the char
- SO, SO, SO tender and juicy
- Creamy and dreamy from the goat cheese + mascarpone filling
- Fresh and slightly floral from the sliced basil
- Sweet from the ripe peach and honey with a hint of pepper to balance out the sweetness just the tiniest bit
They are life. They are summer. They are happiness. They are the most perfect bite.
Get out there, find some absurdly ripe peaches, and get grilling!
My grocery stores rarely have good peaches, but our farmers market is usually a safe bet!
Stuffed Grilled Peaches with Black Pepper Honey
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 ripe peaches, halved with pit removed
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- A small handful of basil leaves (about 5 or so), thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
- 2 tablespoons goat cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your grill over medium – medium high heat
- Lightly brush the cut side of your peaches with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper
- Grill the peaches just until they have charred grill marks across the surface, and then remove them from the grill
- Meanwhile, add your honey to a small pot and stir in your pepper. Bring this to a light simmer over medium heat and let it simmer for just a few minutes. Set aside
- To make your filling, stir together the goat cheese and mascarpone. Set aside
- To assemble, spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each peach, lightly drizzle some of the black pepper honey over top (not too much!), and finish with sliced basil
Notes
Slicing the peaches and removing the pit can be tricky to do neatly, especially if your peach is very ripe. The best way is to slice all around the peach in a circle (like you would an avocado), and then hold each side in your hand, lightly turning back and forth until the halves have loosened enough to release. Then take a small paring knife and make small cuts around the pit before popping it out. The good news is, even if it’s not pretty, it’ll be grilled and stuffed and topped with things, so it doesn’t really matter!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 peach
- Calories: 126
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 33 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure you Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
In the mood for more yummy peach recipes? Check these out:
Peach, Goat Cheese, and Basil Toasts
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