Baked Peaches with Amaretti

Baked Peaches with Amaretti

At the height of summer, juicy peaches and nectarines fill our local markets - so life really is a peach. Here I fill the peach halves with crushed amaretti, raspberries, honey and egg yolk, then roast them with butter, sugar and a splash of water until their juices form a glossy syrup.

Much like my baked apricots, this simple fruit dessert lets ripe summer produce do most of the work. It also belongs firmly in the same delicious family as my peach tart recipe.

Italian Stuffed Peaches: Pesche Ripiene

Pesche ripiene are Italian baked peaches stuffed with amaretti and peach pulp, often with cocoa or chocolate added to the filling. The dessert is particularly associated with Piedmont in northern Italy.

I first found inspiration for mine in Al Dente by Maria Chiara Martinelli, a cookbook given to me many years ago by my good friend Valérie. Its French edition promises tous les secrets de la vraie cuisine italienne - all the secrets of genuine Italian cooking. No pressure, then.

Maria Martinelli's version included cocoa, sugar, egg yolk and considerably more amaretti. Instead, I added raspberries, honey and a little French lavender. This was originally the only way I could persuade Lucie to eat raspberries, which she called "hairy". The recipe stuck, even if the family diplomacy has long since been forgotten.

Best Peaches for Baking

Choose peaches that are firm-ripe: fragrant and yielding very slightly when pressed, but neither hard nor soft and bruised.

Rock-hard peaches will bake, but the oven cannot magically give them the flavour they have not yet developed. Leave them at room temperature for a few days first.

Both white and yellow peaches work well. You can also make the recipe with nectarines.

How to Make Stuffed Baked Peaches

Wash and dry the peaches before preparing them. There is no need to peel them before baking, as the skin helps the halves hold their shape.

How to Halve and Stone Peaches

To halve them, cut all the way around each peach, keeping the knife close to the stone (a serrated knife helps). Hold one half in each hand and twist gently to separate them.

Remove the stones, then scoop out a little peach flesh with a teaspoon (or grapefruit spoon) to enlarge each cavity. Reserve the flesh for the filling.

Cutting this way and twisting makes it easy to remove the stone from a cling peach.

Remove the peach stones and scoop out a little more flesh so that there is more room in the centre to fill. Lay them cut centre side up in a non-stick roasting tin.

Fill each cavity with a couple of spoons of the filling.

Add Butter, Sugar and Water

Arrange the stuffed peaches cut-side up in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle the sugar over the tops if using, and place a small knob of butter on each half.

Pour the water around the peaches rather than over the filling. As they bake, it combines with the butter, sugar and peach juices to make the syrup.

How Long to Bake Peach Halves

Bake the stuffed peach halves at 200°C/400°F or 180°C fan for about 25 minutes.

They are ready when the peaches feel tender but still hold their shape, the filling looks lightly golden and the juices are bubbling around them.

Leave the stuffed peaches to cool at room temperature then transfer to the fridge to chill. This is when the skin does its magic and any extra juices accumulate in the tin.

Do You Peel Peaches Before Baking?

There is no need to peel peaches before baking. Once cooked and cooled, however, the skins slip off easily.

Serve them peeled or unpeeled. Leaving the skins on gives them more colour and saves another job, which is rarely a bad thing.

How to Serve Baked Peaches

Serve the baked peaches warm, at room temperature or chilled, with plenty of their peach syrup spooned over the top or with a little extra drizzle of honey.

They are delicious on their own. Better still, serve them with:

• homemade pistachio ice cream or
• lemon verbena ice cream

Love peaches with raspberries? Then try the French classic Peach Melba recipe.