Summer peaches need very little improvement. Here’s a “peaches and cream” game featuring warm baked peaches topped with marshmallow-frosted meringue. It’s a nice and easy centerpiece for late summer parties.
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I have a saying when it comes to peaches: travel to the peaches, don’t ask them to travel to you. And when they arrive as close to home as you can find them, make this easy Peach Meringue Dessert.
I love you California, but your peaches don’t like to travel, especially overland. Years of disappointment, fueled by my impatience to snag the first peaches I see at the grocery store, have finally taught me this lesson.
Living in Massachusetts I have to wait until the second half of July for decent local peaches to arrive. (I’ll be hedging my bets a lot and if I’m pretty lucky, I’ll fall for New Jersey peaches!)
You can sometimes find good supermarket peaches imported from other states, but the only way to find out is to buy a few and try them. If they’re good, go back for more.
Keep it simple with peaches
After eating the peaches on their own, move on to the desserts. Because peaches are so juicy and sweet, and their season is so short, they deserve special treatment.
And by that I mean almost no treatment at all.
Enter this rustic stir-fry dessert. Toss some sliced peaches (no need to peel them) in brown butter and brown sugar, baste with vanilla and almond extracts, and garnish with meringue.
After baking, the peaches will soften a bit and release their juice. The meringue topping is slightly crunchy on the outside but soft and marshmallow on the inside.
We’re all familiar with the flavor combination of peaches and cream, but here the sweet meringue plays off the tart peaches in a new way that lets the tart peaches shine. Make sure you have a bowl and large spoon handy to scoop up the soup juice.
A versatile summer dessert
But wait, there’s more! This is a great recipe to use any type of summer stone fruit: nectarine, plum, pluots or apricot, alone or in combination. Throw in some blueberries or raspberries if you have any. These are all great decisions.
In other words, this is a dessert that flies by the bottom of your pants. The polished meringue cloud above has a huge wow factor. A pretty good bang for a minimal fuss!
More ways to enjoy summer peaches!
- Peach galette
- Old fashioned peach pie
- peach cobbler
- Skillet peach chips with pecans and ginger
- Peach Blueberry Cake
Summer peaches with baked meringue
To quickly bring cold eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes before separating.
ingredients
For the baked peaches:
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3 tablespoon unsalted butter
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1/2 Cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 1/2 tablespoon amaretto (almond liqueur) or 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
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1/8 teaspoon Salt
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4 Middle peacheshalved, stoned and thickly sliced (no peeling needed)
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1/2 teaspoon Cinammon
For the meringue topping:
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4 big proteinat room temperature
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1/8 teaspoon Salt
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1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
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1 Cup sugar
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Finely grated citrus peel from 1/2 lemon
special equipment
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blender
method
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Preheat Oven to 375ºF:
Have a 9- to 10-inch ovenproof skillet or similar-sized ceramic casserole dish ready.
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Make the brown butter:
Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until butter is lightly browned and butter smells nutty – about 2 to 3 minutes or so.
Immediately remove the pan from the stove. (If using a casserole dish for this dessert, brown the butter in a small skillet and add it to the casserole dish.)
- Read more about how to brown butter and watch a video HERE.
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Prepare peaches:
Stir the brown sugar, vanilla, amaretto, and salt into the brown butter. Add the peaches and toss to coat them in the sugar.
Spread in the pan and sprinkle with cinnamon.
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Make the meringue:
In the bowl of a food processor on low speed, using the whisk attachment, beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until fluffy.
Gradually increase the speed and slowly add the sugar, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, until the meringue is thick and glossy and retaining firm peaks. (This will take about 3 to 4 minutes.) Fold in the lemon zest.
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Bake Peaches:
Using a large spoon, scoop the meringue over the peaches, gently tossing to create pretty peaks.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the meringue is golden brown. It should be firm on top but still soft in the middle.
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Surcharge:
Cool briefly before serving. This dessert is best eaten the day you serve it, but leftovers will keep refrigerated for a few days.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 229 | calories |
| 5g | Fat |
| 45g | carbohydrates |
| 3g | protein |
