Almond Stuffed Peaches
Italians often do not eat heavy sweets after their meals, but often want something light such as a fruit dish or some biscotti dipped into sweet wine. I had this recipe for many years from my file of recipes collected when we lived in Italy. The recipe actually calls for bitter almonds, but as I cannot find those here in Canada, I use just regular blanched almonds.
These tasty stuffed peach halves are best served warm or at room temperature with a light dollop of whipped cream. For best results, choose peaches that are still a bit unripened as you will need to cut them in half and remove the pit which is difficult to accomplish if they are soft and fully ripened.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Almond Stuffed Peaches
Fresh peaches stuffed with amaretti cookies are a great dessert for a special warm weather menu.
Ingredients
- 4 Firm Fresh Peaches
- 1/4 Cup Blanched Almonds, Lightly Toasted And Finely Ground
- 1/3 Cup Ground Amaretti Cookies
- 2 Teaspoons Sweet Wine
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
To Serve:
- Whipped Cream
- Toasted Sliced Almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cut the peaches in half by cutting along the crease in a circle around the peach then lightly twisting each half in opposite directions.
- Remove the pit, and using a sharp knife and carefully remove a little of the pulp to create a larger cavity in each peach half being careful to leave enough peach around the skin to have a shell to hold the filling.
- Set aside the removed pulp to a bowl and mash with a fork.
- Put the peach halves in a casserole dish large enough to hold them all skin side down.
- Add the almonds, amaretti, egg yolk and sweet wine to the peach pulp and mix well.
- Fill each peach half with a spoonful of the almond mixture filling the cavities.
- Cut a piece of the butter and place on top of the filling in each peach half.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes until the filling is golden brown and the peaches are tender but firm.
- Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of toasted sliced almonds.
