Simple Cooking - Grilled Balsamic Peaches with Rum and Vanilla

By Caitlin Klein in Food on Jun 27, 2012 4:10PM

It's stone fruit season again, so if you've been picking up some good looking peaches from the farmers market or from your grocery store, here is a new preparation to try.

Grilling peaches must be done carefully, because they can easily fall apart. Our best tip is to set them on the grill with tongs, flipping only once. The less you move them around, the better. Try to marinate the peaches for 30 minutes or more prior to grilling; the longer you marinate, the more the vanilla and Balsamic flavors will come out in the final product. Finally, keep an eye on them! This marinade contains brown sugar, and the peaches themselves contain plenty of sugar, so don’t over-grill because the sides might blacken and burn.

Chicagoist's Grilled Balsamic Peaches with Rum and Vanilla (serves 2)
1 ripe peach
½ cup dark rum
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

In a medium bowl, whisk together the rum, brown sugar, vanilla, and Balsamic vinegar.

Slice the peach into 6-8 slices and remove the pit. You don’t need to remove the skin. Add the peaches to the rum mixture and marinate the peaches for 30 minutes or more.

Heat the grill. Remove the peaches from the marinade and reserve marinade. Lay peach slices on their sides on the grill grates, flipping only once, about 5-7 minutes per side (but remember to watch!) Depending on the heat of your grill, you will need to adjust the timing. You’re shooting for soft, seared peach slices.

Serve on plates with extra marinade drizzled over the peaches. This would be great with vanilla ice cream.