Grilled peaches with whipped vanilla bean and honey ricotta

Overhead shot of grilled peaches topped with ricotta

Grilled peaches with whipped vanilla bean and honey ricotta

These grilled peaches topped with whipped vanilla bean and honey ricotta are the perfect summer dessert. When grilled, the peaches release their juices and caramelize, and the flavored ricotta is the perfect compliment to these peaches!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Servings people

Calories 266kcal

Author Pina Bresciani

Ingredients

6 peaches
2 cups ricotta cheese
6 tbsp honey plus extra for drizzling
1 vanilla bean
coconut oil for brushing peaches
cooking spray to spray the grill pan
cinnamon to sprinkle on peaches

Instructions

In a stand mixer bowl, add the ricotta and honey. Remove seeds from vanilla bean by cutting the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scraping out the seeds. Add seeds to ricotta as well.
Whip ricotta mixture until ricotta reaches a cream-like consistency, about 1-3 minutes. Set aside, in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Cut peaches in half and remove pit.
Heat a grill pan on the stove on medium heat, and spray with cooking spray. Brush the cut side of the peaches with coconut oil. Place peaches face down on the grill pan and grill until grill marks form, about 1-3 minutes. Remove from grill pan. Allow peaches to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
Scoop a generous amount of ricotta on to each grilled peach half.
Drizzle ricotta with extra honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

If the ricotta you're using is has a lot of liquid in it, drain ricotta of liquid using a sieve. It will whip better this way.
Once you've whipped the ricotta, store it in the fridge until it's ready for use. You can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
You only need to grill one side of the peach (cut side down). There's no need to grill the other side.

Tips for grilling peaches:

I found the best way to grill the peaches was on a cast iron grill pan (like this one) on the stove. The grill pan produces distinct grill marks on the peaches. You can try using an outdoor BBQ, but when I tested grilling the peaches on my BBQ (I have a Cusinart Roll Away Gas Grill) , it did not produce nice grill marks. The grill pan worked better.
Spray the grill pan with cooking spray before you start grilling the peaches AND brush the peaches with coconut oil before grilling. This will ensure they don't stick to the grill pan.
Medium temperature on the stove is the best temperature I found for grilling peaches. Any hotter and the peaches will burn, and any lower, you will not get distinct grill marks.
Heat up the grill pan before grilling the peaches for a few minutes. Your first few grilled peaches may not have dark grill marks (but will still taste delicious!), but as the pan heats up, darker grill marks will form on the other peaches.
Grill the peaches face side (cut side) down. There's no need to flip them and grill the other side.
If you're looking for clean grill marks, try to resist the urge to move or lift the peaches before they're done grilling, this will cause the grill marks to be uneven.
On medium heat, on the grill pan, anywhere from 1-3 minutes is the ideal time for grilling peaches. As you grill a few halves, you'll become more familiar with the amount of time needed to produce the grill marks

Nutrition