We’re bad, really bad. We were supposed to post this recipe a few weeks back, but there have been quite a few distractions lately. Someone had a birthday, so we went on a trip and with cooking classes, taking on our first catering job and planning another big party left little time to write this post. Oops, did the computer keys slip and say….another big party? Uhh, yup, it sure did and yes, we are planning another HUGE party in the backyard. Wait till you see who’s gonna be coming to the paaaaarty! We’ll be writing about this next week, sorry for the tease.
But with out much further ado, here it is ….voila! Grilled peaches with the homemade crème fraîche that so many of you have been waiting for! Our white peach tree produced tons of sweet fruit this year and eating them off the tree is by far, the BEST way to eat them. We made many dishes with these sweet gems (white peach gelato & bellini’s to name a few), but only wrote about the white peach and sorrel salad (who has the time to write about everything you cook anyways?)
With summer grilling at an all time high in the WORC household, grilling these peaches to perfect softness and topping them with some crème fraîche is, quite frankly, the SECOND best way to eat them. (Bellinis are not eaten, they get drank!) Grilled peaches just melt…in…your…mouth. We’re saying this slowly because there is just no other way to describe the amazing sensation of biting into the warm, dripping, slippery, sweet flesh of the peaches. The smoky undertones of the fruit from the grill and the very light honey/balsamic glaze actually heightens the sweet sensations. And add a dollop of some cool crème fraîche with a kiss of lime zest…it’s magical. If your product selection isn’t great for peaches, then nectarines are delicious too.
Crème fraîche, crème fraîche! They can be difficult to find, but when you do, they’re taste. Creme fraiche gives you new dimensions beyond sour cream with it’s silky texture and beautiful tang. We can find it in our select markets around here, of course the Frenchies have easy access to it, but what about the rest of the culinary hounds? You might be able to find it, and you might not. Never fear, our insatiable curiosity has lead us to the method for creating your own. It’s even easier than making your own ricotta (which is also easy, and worlds better than any that we’ve bought. Another post, another time. Stay tuned in for future episodes.) Back to the crème fraîche… All you have to do is culture some heavy cream with either sour cream or buttermilk. Leave it out in a warm place for a day or so (it’s ok, it is perfectly safe.) Then throw it in a fridge. That’s it. Don’t worry, we’ve put the specifics on the recipe page. Take the whole few minutes it take to make crème fraîche and enjoy. The buttermilk and the sour cream both give a slight difference in taste and texture to the final product. We found the sour cream to promote a smoother texture and a slightly sweeter taste. The buttermilk gave a nicer tang, and the texture was still exquisite. Make that which matches your fancy, or do like us and make both. It’s easy.
We’re submitting this dessert to Andrea for your Grow Your Own Event, where we celebrate all the dishes that we grow from our gardens bounty. This month’s event is hosted by Jessica at Finny Knits . Summer weather has definitely been good to us this and there are some benefits of living in So Cal aside from all the smog, concrete and congestion. But if you don’t have a garden, you can still check out all the wonderful dishes that bloggers from all around the world have created from their garden bounty at Andrea’s previous round-ups!
Grilled peaches w/Crème Fraîche Recipe
Ingredients:
Print This RecipeGrilled stone fruit & honey balsamic glaze
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
3 T Balsamic vinegar
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1 8-ounce container creme fraiche (homemade recipe below)
6 firm but ripe peaches or nectarines (halved, pitted)
lemon/lime zest
Directions:
1.Whisk 1/2 cup honey, vinegar, water and vanilla in small bowl. Whisk creme fraiche and remaining 2 tablespoons honey in medium bowl to blend. (Glaze and creme fraiche mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately. Refrigerate creme fraiche mixture. Re-whisk both before using.)
2. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush fruit generously with half of glaze. Grill until heated through, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes on each side.
3.Arrange 2 grilled fruit halves, cut side up, on each plate. Drizzle with remaining glaze. Spoon some creme fraiche mixture into center or on top of grilled fruit.
4. Grate lemon/lime zest for a bright, aromatic citrus punch!
Print This Recipe
Creme Fraiche
Creme fraiche is super simple and quick to make, plus, it adds a new dimension beyond sour cream. Make this, it will make you happy. We’ve included 2 variations for culturing the cream, buttermilk and sour cream. The culture is ultimately what dictates the flavor of the creme fraiche, and the sour cream will give a slightly sweeter, and creamier texture. The buttercream will give you a bit more tang. Enjoy.
Ingredients
2 c Heavy Cream
2 T Sour Cream or Buttermilk
1. Combine ingredients and gently heat to approx. 100ºF. Transfer to a glass canning jar, or stainless-steel, or porcelain container. Keep it covered in a warm (yes, warm place, it is perfectly safe) until it has thickened, usually 24-36 hours. After the cream has thickened, place it in the refrigerator. It should keep for at least a couple weeks.
More dessert dishes that you might enjoy:
- Grilled white peaches w/honey balsamic glaze and homemade creme fraiche
- Plum and muscat gelato
- Tangerine and carrot cupcakes with tangerine cream cheese frosting
- Thomas Kellers red beet ice cream
- Candied walnuts with walnut syrup
- Silky chocolate whiskey tangerine pie
- Chocolate chunk banana bread
- Mangoes and rum cream
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{ 42 comments… read them below or add one }
The photo of the basket of huge peaches is really beautiful … u guys really have the greenest fingers! I’ve never tried Creme Fraiche before but it does sound heavenly
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Ah, I’ve had grilled peaches in a salad (Yep, you guessed it… Jamie freaking Oliver, again) and they were absolutely yummy! Of course I haven’t yet considered using it as a dessert, hahaha!
I heard that UHT Cream doesn’t work as well when it comes to making creme fraiche. Fortunately we do get tubs of creme fraiche here, but it is $5.55 for 250g (half-pound, approximately). Yikes!
OMGAWDDDDDDD. Seriously! My lil peach tree in the city has some fruit on it….and now that we have the behemoth grill I am so making this. Can’t wait to see what you guys do for the par-tayyyy!
Yummy, this sounds delicious.
Big party!!?? Again?
Oh, at least somebody should be partying all the time, anyways. Looking forward to hearing your detailed (!!!) report on your next big par-tyyy (ahem)!
And yes, home-made food does always leave its in-store counterparts standing!
You’re killing me with all the Summer peaches!!! Please end Winter, please! Darn you Northern Hemisphere… Just kidding, I still like you
Save some for me!! Those are gorgeous! I’m coming over *right now*! Be there in 36 hours… xxoo
These look so beautiful and delicious. I can usually get everything I want in NYC, and I have a nice garden upstate, but I must admit when it comes to stone fruit, well, it basically doesn’t come. Not locally anyway. A few weeks ago I was bewitched by Molly’s post about Zuni’s apricot tart and lured into buying some apricots grown in NY state. There was nothing intoxicating about them. They were mealy and had no fragrance whatsoever. They were everything a stone fruit is not supposed to be. Mealy with no fragrance whatsoever. But I did have some fabulous squash blossoms stuffed with mozz and ricotta last night. When you post your ricotta recipe (please, pretty please), I’ll be on it.
I just had grilled peaches for the first time a few weeks ago and they were divine!! I’m truly amazed by your garden. What don’t you grow?!
Wow, this is an amazing treat. White peaches are my favorite fruit. They are far superior to ordinary peaches, in my mind anyway. And with the balsamic glaze and homemade creme fraische. Can’t really go wrong here…
I’ve made grilled peach ice cream before, but with this creme fraiche, that would be an even quicker way to enjoy grilled peaches and cream. I never knew creme fraiche was so easy to make.
I imagine if using buttermilk instead of sour cream, that would make the creme fraiche more lumpy? Is that true?
Grilled peaches are definitely a beautiful thing and I love what you guys did with this. I really need to try creme fraiche already (never had it yet!)…and can’t wait to see how the party goes! If only Florida was just a wee bit closer to California…
Holy crap this looks good (sorry, trying to restrain myself.. but very hard)… I just adore creme fraiche. Moving to the US from Europe, I never understood why it is so hard to find here in the States.. Thankfullly Trader Joes has it, as does Whole Foods (eww), and a few other more local stores.
It is so much more three dimensional then sour cream. I love it whisked into scrambled eggs too.
This looks awesome – grilled peaches are a must this time of year!
Love this post… grilled peaches (heck, all grilled fruit in general!) are so delicious! (I’m big on white peaches, then again, I’m big on traditional bellinis so no explanation needed! Maybe I should try planting a peach tree in my own yard….)
And two thumbs up for using creme fraiche! I just know this dish was juicy, succulent and satisfying!
(Thanks, by the way, for the invite… I’m working on it!)
oooooh yes! i think you’re right. the only way that i could like peaches more than this is just eating them ripe right off of the tree! i would give my pinky toe for some of this right now! (i figure i could still function okay w/o the pinky toe
)
OOohh…I can just feel those peaches melting in my mouth! Can’t wait on the report of your next big party!
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the idea of a soft grilled peach doused with breme fraiche has caused my saliva glands to go berserk. berserk, i tell you.
I’d post something about the delicious pears and apples growing on wild trees in our own yard, however … damn squirrels! Caught one running across the road last week with a whole pear hanging from its mouth.
We’ll make the creme fraiche though!
pssst … the pic above “Crème fraîche, crème fraîche! They can be difficult to find, but when you do …” isn’t loading.
I can’t get over the fact that you have white peaches in your garden. Your garden is AMAZING!
Love this preparation. Simple and summery. And if the grill isn’t going (or for the grill-less) I’ll bet you could do a nice version of this in the oven too.
Gorgeous. I like to add grilled peaches to salads with cheese and also to cous cous with feta – yummy!
Are you kidding me? This looks like heaven!
I love grilled stone fruits (nectarines and plums, too), and how lucky you are to have a white peach tree! I usually splash them with a bit of good quality balsamic, and occasionally a bit of vanilla frozen yogurt.
beautiful and simple. and we’ve been wanting to make creme fraiche too – i read about how easy it is. but we now have it in our grocery store for $3, so maybe when the mood strikes me?
what I would give to have my very own peach tree in my very own backyard. what I would give to have my very own backyard big enough for a peach tree…
You guys have been busy!! I love creme fraiche and the peaches look divine
You have a white peach tree?! I’m so freakin jealous! You must be reading my mind because I was just going to look for a Creme Fraiche recipe. Those peaches look amazing.
This makes me want to run out and buy a grill.
I made something similar with my peaches not too long ago. Grilled peaches… mmmm!
Can’t wait to hear about your next party! You two are so much fun!
I wish I could grow my own dessert. Looks amazing. I don’t believe I’ve thrown peaches on the grill yet. Though I looked at a grilled duck/peach combo recipe the other day that sounded amazing. I haven’t done my own CF yet but I’ve heard it’s rather simple. Will have to do…
the first pic is gorgeous. i† screams summer. next time, when making creme fraiche, try adding a dash of saffron. spectacular.
I looooooooove peaches. The creme fraiche combo sounds wonderful, but then anything with peaches will be magical. You lucky peach tree owners, you.
jealous jealous jealous. the only thing i can grow in my apartment is my azz, it is growing bigger and juicier by the minute.
i need new pants! T_T
OMG! That looks heavenly!
A month ago I wrote a post bemoaning the dissappearance of peach fuzz! White peaches are my fav! I got some good organic ones from the store for about 3 weeks then the season was over. (Sigh!) Next year–I’ll have to try this!
Love your site and thanks for stopping by Where’s My Damn Answer!
Wow….you have peaches growing in your own backyard! Lucky you
The combination sounds delicious!
This Frenchie decided to make her own when faced with the outrageous price of store bought!! It’s so easy to make and so much tastier!! You have a peach tree? I so want to be you
Great summer dessert!
I love grilled peaches. the honey balsamic glaze and creme fraiche sounds so elegant!
Wow, that looks great. Your peaches look perfect.
I am coming to the party, I’ll bring a couple of bottles of wine.
Maybe if I start walking now….
I see it now: me, by somebody’s pool, with that blackberry cocktail _ such an improvement over my ho-hum vodka tonics _ and those grilled peached on my drink stand. Let’s enjoy the last days of summer!
Plucking your own white peaches sounds like ambrosia to me. Gorgeous.
(And thanks for the super-nice comment on my radicchio post while I was on break.) : )
Just found this recipe — YUM! Thanks.
Has no one noticed this in the ingredients list:
“3 T cup balsamic vinegar”
So which is it, 3 cups or 3 tablespoons?
It looks like there was a glitch in the formatting of some of our older posts. It should be 3 Tablespoons. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.