Grilled Peaches, Blue Cheese Butter, Candied Pecans Bruschetta
One long-held tradition during the peach season has always included juices dripping down the chin eating the ripe, sweet fruit right over the sink. While this is still an old fashioned fun way to eat a peach there are a broad variety of uses when it comes to using up your bushel.
I’ve always tended to wait longer than the early ‘its peach season’ announcements before either heading to the ‘pick your own’ orchards or purchasing them at area markets. Peach season to me really begins past that time when the peaches finally begin to ripen, beyond the rock hard stage but not too soft.
Much to my delight the still firm but ripe perfection is readily available in the west. In particular, peaches grow quite well in the southern part of Nevada and then being located next to California which also produces its own prolific harvest.
Thus far every peach I’ve cut into this season has been a sort of summer fruit perfection with beautiful bright golden and red-tinged color interiors brimming with juice, and natural, sweet pure flavor.
I’ve wanted to create some sort of peach bruschetta for a while now but had something else in mind besides the delicious peach and goat cheese variety. Having some blue cheese on hand I decided a nice whip between a little butter might complement things well. The just out of the oven, hot, crispy baguette slices spread with the blue cheese butter then topped with fresh grilled peaches proved to be a hit. Little bits of candied pecans at the finish made it a real peach delight.
Grilling Peaches is one way to really turn up the flavor. Set on a grill grate fruit side down and cooked on medium-high heat for around five minutes richly caramelizes any ripe peach to a sweet treat ready to lend balance to many choice savory bites just like today’s Grilled Peaches, Blue Cheese Butter, Candied Pecans Bruschetta.
And then, with those peaches left in your batch if you’ve not yet enjoyed the annual tradition, there is still time to savor juices dripping down the chin, eating the ripe, sweet fruit right over the sink.
Grilled Peaches, Blue Cheese Butter, Candied Pecans Bruschetta
Ingredients
- For the Blue Cheese Butter:
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 3 ounces blue cheese, softened
- For the Peaches:
- 3 peaches, ripe but not too soft
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- For the Candied Pecans:
- brown sugar
- water
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- For the Bruschetta:
- 14-16 baguette slices around one-quarter inch thick
Instructions
- For the Blue Cheese Butter: Spoon the softened butter into the bowl of a mini food processor, pulse a few times to spread. Add in the softened blue cheese and pulse a few times or more to blend. Transfer the Blue Cheese Butter to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until one hour before assembling
- For the Grilled Peaches: Preheat grill on high. Wash and dry peaches with paper towels, halve, remove the center stones. Brush the inside tops of the peaches with olive oil then set the fruit side down onto a grill pan. Grill peaches until beginning to color and caramelize, around six to eight minutes. Transfer peaches to a cutting board to cool slightly, Slice peach halves thinly and cut around to remove the outer skin
- For the Candied Pecans: Stir brown sugar and water in a small pan and cook on medium heat until just bubbling. Stir in the pecan pieces and cook around four to five minutes until the brown sugar mixture begins to caramelize over the pecans. Turn off heat. Transfer candied pecans to a sheet of parchment or wax paper to cool
- For the Bruschetta: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly brush baguette slices with olive oil. Bake around 8-10 minutes until slightly crispy. Spread toasted baguette slices with a generous amount of blue cheese butter, top with a slice of peach and finish with a piece of candied pecan
Facebook Comments