Warm peaches, cold mascarpone, honey and a little chai spice: a simple late-summer dessert that comes together in minutes.
There is a short stretch of summer when peaches seem to ripen faster than anyone can eat them. This is a good way to use the ones that are soft enough to be fragrant but still firm enough to hold their shape in a pan.
The fruit is cooked in butter and honey until caramelised at the edges, then served with a cold mascarpone cream gently spiced with Ghar Ki Chai Chai Spice. The contrast between warm fruit and cold cream is what makes it work.
The recipe
Serves 4 · Prep 15 minutes · Cook 10 minutes
Ingredients
For the peaches
- 4 ripe but firm peaches
- 20g unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- Small pinch of fine sea salt
For the chai cream
- 150g mascarpone
- 150ml double cream, fridge cold
- 20g icing sugar
- 1 to 1½ tsp Ghar Ki Chai Chai Spice
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
To finish
- 25g pistachios, roughly chopped
- A little extra honey
- Flaky sea salt, optional
Method
1. Make the chai cream
Whisk the mascarpone, double cream, icing sugar, Chai Spice and vanilla until thick enough to hold soft folds. Taste and add a little more spice if you want a stronger finish, then refrigerate while you cook the fruit.
2. Caramelise the peaches
Halve the peaches and remove the stones. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the peaches cut-side down and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until caramelised. Turn them over, add the honey and salt, then cook for another 2 to 3 minutes while spooning the buttery honey over the fruit.
3. Assemble
Spoon the cold chai cream onto four plates, add two warm peach halves to each and finish with the honey from the pan and chopped pistachios. If the peaches are particularly sweet, a tiny pinch of flaky salt works well.
After dinner
This is the kind of dessert that suits an unplanned extra half hour at the table. It needs very little preparation, works even when the peaches are slightly too ripe, and is best served immediately while the fruit is warm and the cream is properly cold.
Recipe notes
Peaches: Nectarines work just as well. Very ripe fruit may need less time in the pan. Make ahead: The chai cream can be made up to six hours in advance and kept covered in the fridge. Vegan variation: Use a thick plant-based whipping cream, dairy-free cream cheese and plant butter.
