Grilled Peaches with Almond-Infused Cream & Honey

As I have mentioned before, my older brother is a poignantly awesome person.  He is an artist in every sense of the word -  he paints boldly, writes uniquely, inspires humbly, plays guitar effortlessly, speaks kindly, hugs warmly, and cooks creatively.

He is now further developing his intricate artistry by catapulting his talent into his career ~ as a graphic designer in New York City.   

I remember the first time he made me a dessert of sauteed sliced bananas from the stovetop.  The sweet rutilant spheres were laced with rum, brown sugar, and butter.  I was in absolute heaven. 

Cooked and/or grilled peaches have been dancing around the culinary world forever.  I have made them a handful of times on the stove, but last weekend, hubby and I made them on the grill.  They were insanely good.  These peaches caused one of those "fall off of the chair" moments for me.  Hubby is not a die-hard fan of "warm fruit", as he calls it, but I fell in love.  Instantly.  He really liked them, too; he just didn't fall onto the floor. 

Grilled Peaches with Almond-Infused Cream & Honey
Source: my own, inspired by my brother, Johnny

Ingredients (for 2):
-2 peaches
- a little bit of whipped cream (you can also make your own if you want to amplify the whole dish but it really is not necessary - the fruit is the real star)
-2 modest drops of almond extract
-1-2 tablespoons of sliced almonds
-honey (Glacier County Honey is a top choice for this)

The Process:
Slice peaches into halves, and remove the pits.  Turn on the grill. 

When the grill is warmed and ready, add the peach halves, flesh side down, to the grill.  Keep the lid open.  Do not touch them for atleast 4-5 minutes to allow the natural sugars to caramelize.  After this time has elapsed, check them gently for grill marks.  Hubby then closed the grill cover to help warm the fruit through for another 2-3 minutes. 

Our's took about 8 minutes total on a medium-setting outdoor grill.

Bring the succulent peach halves inside, and it is time to prepare the whipped cream.  In a bowl, add the whipped cream and almond extract.  BARELY stir it; basically, fold it over one time or so with the back of the spoon.  You do not want the integrity of the whipped cream to fall apart.

Top the warm peaches with whipped cream, sprinkle with almonds, and drizzle with honey.

This dessert is perfect for a 101-degree summer evening in Richmond!! 

 ~Happy Weekend~