I adore Bananas Foster, the New Orleans dessert of bananas, butter and brown sugar flambéed in rum. But the dessert has a wintry vibe to me, and I like to eat with the seasons, so I decided to make a summery version with peaches. The key to this recipe is using the highest quality ingredients at the peach of flavor. Actually, that’s foundational to all good cooking, but it really matters when you’re working with a few ingredients. French butter is a must –my favorite is Beurre Échiré, from the Poitou-Charentes region of western central France.
I call out heirloom peaches not to be precious, but because of the ideal acid balance in old-fashioned peaches like the white Babcock or yellow O’Henry. The Arctic Supreme white peach is also exquisite, but they’re only in the market for a moment. Just go to the farmers’ market and let taste guide you to the best ones for this recipe.
Peaches Colette
Your favorite vanilla bean ice cream, frozen hard
2 tbs salted French butter
2 tbs raw honey
1 ripe heirloom peach, chopped in ½-inch chunks
1.5 tbs salted guara or Marcona almonds, chopped
Nutmeg, freshly grated
3 leaves lemon verbena (optional)
- Scoop your favorite vanilla ice cream (currently torn between Van Leeuwen Vanilla Bean and Straus Family Organic Vanilla Bean) into two bowls and put them in the back of the freezer to freeze firm.
- In a nonstick pan over low-medium heat, melt the butter, watching carefully so it doesn’t get too brown. Once melted, add the raw honey and stir with a soft spatula so it melts and forms a caramel. Add peaches, almonds, and lemon verbena leaves if using. Sauté and stir to coat the peaches and allow them to soften a bit. Finish with a few grates of nutmeg seed. Remove the lemon verbena leaves if you can still find them.
- Pull your bowls of vanilla ice cream from the freezer, top with peaches and caramel and enjoy.
Serves 2
