Honey & Brown Sugar Roasted Peaches

Lisa Yockelson’s Honey and Brown Sugar-Roasted Peaches
Excerpted from Diet Simple by Katherine Tallmadge

6 Servings

The juice-ripe peaches are sweetened with a mixture of brown sugar and honey, enriched with a little melted butter, and mellowed with vanilla extract and peach nectar. Enjoy the peaches as is, or with a dollop of vanilla yogurt or ice cream.

Unsalted butter, for the baking dish
6 firm but ripe medium peaches, halved and pits removed
2 Tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons mild honey, such as clover
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup peach nectar (or 2 Tablespoons more, as necessary)*

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the lower third level slot. Lightly butter the bottom of a 12 to 14-inch non-reactive ovenproof baking dish.

Place the peaches rounded-side down (cut side up) in the dish. Combine the sugar, honey, melted butter, vanilla, and peach nectar in a small mixing bowl. Spoon the mixture over and about the peaches.

Roast the fruit for 20 minutes, or until gently softened (but not mushy), and the juices have lightly condensed. Begin checking on the fruit at 15 minutes; if the peaches are not juice enough on their own, they may not give off enough juice, so you may need to add 2 tablespoons more peach nectar at this time. Roast an additional 5 minutes, as necessary. You can also glaze the fruit under a broiler for a few seconds until the tops glisten. Serve the fruit warm.

*If you cannot find peach nectar or peach juice, apricot nectar can be used.

The recipe for this essence-of-summer fruit dessert comes from Lisa Yockelson, baking journalist and author of the award-winning BAKING BY FLAVOR (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002).