Peaches with Cardamom Streusel & Honey-Vanilla Cream

By aliyaleekong • August 4, 2010 • 8 Comments

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Author Notes: I headed up to Ellsworth Hill Orchard in Litchfield, Connecticut this last week to do some summer fruit picking and came across these beautiful, juicy Flaming Fury peaches. I got completely carried away out in the orchard and was a bit obsessed with finding the perfect peach (to my husband’s dismay in the insanely sweaty heat). All I could think about was pairing sweet peaches with cardamom for a super easy summer dessert. Baking the peaches really brings out the sweetness, and cardamom, in place of traditional cinnamon, creates a delicious, crunchy streusel to layer on top. It does not get any easier than mixing a few ingredients in a bowl, spooning the crumbly mixture on top of halved peaches, and throwing it all in the oven. I serve this dish with whipped honey-vanilla cream, which balances out the residual tartness in the peaches. A lovely way to indulge in summer’s fruit. Enjoy!
- aliyaleekong

Serves 4 to 6

Baked Peaches & Cardamom Streusel:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
3/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature (but not completely soft) and cut into pieces
4 peaches

Honey-Vanilla Cream

1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons honey
½ vanilla bean, scraped OR 1 ½ tsps of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400° F.
In a bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cardamom and salt. Cut in butter using your fingers or a pastry scraper until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Halve peaches on the vertical, remove pits, and scrape off any rough bits. I do this at the last second, so that the peaches don’t turn brown. Also, I leave the skin on as a preference – you can remove the skin if you like.
Arrange peaches in a buttered baking dish. Top with streusel topping and bake for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool briefly.
Whip the heavy cream by hand or by using a hand or stand mixture. Before it is fully whipped, add in the vanilla and honey, so that it becomes evenly distributed (but not over whipped!).
Serve peaches warm with a side of the honey-vanilla cream.