The One Thing You Shouldn't Do When Grilling Peaches
You may dream about sunny afternoons charring some juicy steaks and fresh summer vegetables over the grill with friends in the backyard — the possibility of dishes you can create for your next backyard barbecue are endless. Peaches can brighten up any meal, whether you add them to a classic mozzarella, fresh tomato, and basil Caprese salad, purée them for a sweet Bellini with Italian Prosecco, or bake them in the oven with a buttery crisp topping, packed with nutritious oats, warm ground cinnamon, and caramel brown sugar for a simple peach crisp.
Grilling the fruit can also yield delicious results and even a new flavor profile ranging from sweet to savory. When grilled or heated in a skillet, the sugars in peaches caramelize, which makes the dreamiest ice cream topping, the centerpiece of a summery salad tossed with arugula and feta cheese, or a stunning side dish to complement pork and chicken fresh off of the grill. One easy dessert you can make on the grill is the peach Melba, which incorporates grilled peaches, raspberry sauce, and vanilla ice cream. The smoke and char from the grill can infuse any peachy dish with a subtle savory, complex flavor profile. Sounds easy, right? But there is one thing should keep an eye out for to avoid having your fruit become a mushy mess.
The best fruit for grilling is ripe but still firm
Save those soft, aromatic peaches for a pie. When buying peaches to slice up and cook on the grill, Southern Living suggests using fruit that is ripe but still quite firm, so it can withstand the heat of the grill without dissolving into a pulp glob of warm peaches. Once you've chosen some firm peaches that have been picked too soon, heat the grill to a high temperature approximately between 450 degrees and 550 degrees Fahrenheit, then brush the pitted peach halves with some oil to prevent this juicy fruit from sticking. Allow them to become charred, grilling uncovered for about four minutes.
"Don't treat it like meat where it has to be on there for a very long time," Queer Eye's Antoni Porowski told Food & Wine (per Yahoo). "I love a grilled peach, but it's about kissing it on the flame. You don't want to fully cook the fruit, because then it just kind of gets jammy. You want it to still keep the form, and even with watermelon, keep it on high heat, get the char, and then take it off."