Roasted Peaches in Bourbon Syrup with Smoked Salt

One bite of this dish promises to “expand the boundaries of sensation separating your mouth from the rest of your body, and you’ll be feeling spiciness in the warmth of your hands and smokiness in the tingling of your toes,” or so says Bitterman, who won a James Beard Foundation Book Award this year for his manifesto on all things Salted.

You might also try grilling the peaches—but if you do, use an un-smoked salt or the dish might taste overly smoky.

Recipe: Roasted Peaches in Bourbon Syrup with Smoked Salt

Summary: Courtesy of Mark Bitterman, The Meadow, Portland, OR. Reprinted from Salted: A Manifesto on the World’s Most Essential Mineral, with Recipes by Mark Bitterman, copyright © 2010.

Ingredients

  • 4 large, barely ripe peaches
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick, broken into 3 pieces
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Greek yogurt, crème fraîche, or caramel ice cream, for serving (optional)
  • 4 two-finger pinches smoked salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Put the peaches, stem side down, in a baking dish large enough to hold the peaches without allowing them to touch one another. Poke each peach with a fork several times to keep them from bursting.
  3. In a small saucepan, bring the water, sugar, and cinnamon to a boil over high heat.
  4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the bourbon, vanilla, and butter.
  5. Return the pan to low heat and simmer until the butter melts.
  6. Remove and discard the cinnamon pieces.
  7. Spoon the sauce over the peaches.
  8. Roast the peaches for 10 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven and brush the peaches with syrup from the bottom of the dish.
  9. Return the dish to the oven and roast until the peaches are just tender enough to pierce with a fork, about 25 minutes more.
  10. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
  11. Serve one peach per person.
  12. Slice the peach or cut into large chunks, discarding the pit, and put in a bowl with a spoonful of the bourbon syrup.
  13. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt or crème fraîche, or a scoop of caramel ice cream, if desired.
  14. Sprinkle a two-finger pinch of the salt over each serving.

Preparation time: 1 hour(s)

Cooking time: 10 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Filed under Recipes · Tagged with

Comments are closed.