Author Notes
You'll be shaking your groove thing when you take a bite of this dessert. The semifreddo and the blueberry sauce can be made ahead. Gently reheat the sauce when serving. I like my grilled peaches with some crunch left, so a knife and fork comes in handy. - mrslarkin —mrslarkin
Test Kitchen Notes
This recipe was a big success. It's well-written and clear and could easily be adapted to my indoor grilling pan (a huge plus for those of us not lucky enough to have an outdoor grilling space). The flavor of the semifreddo coupled with the peaches and blueberry was the perfect amount of sweet, without being overwhelming. The semifreddo had a unique flavor, a nice combination of cheeses, ice cream and thyme. I was a bit skeptical going in amount mixing the cheeses together with ice cream, and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. I think this is a great characteristic of the recipe -- you don’t really know what to expect before you make it. This dish was easy to make, extremely tasty and innovative. I give it my highest recommendation and I will certainly be making it again in the near future. - sshumans —The Editors
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Ingredients
- for the semifreddo
-
1/2 cup
goat cheese, room temperature
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1/2 cup
mascarpone, room temperature
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1/2 cup
crème fraiche
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2 tablespoons
honey
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1 teaspoon
lemon zest
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4
sprigs fresh thyme, with blossoms if available
-
1/2 cup
premium vanilla ice cream, softened
- For the blueberry sauce and the peaches
-
2 cups
frozen wild Maine blueberries
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1/2 cup
granulated sugar
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1 teaspoon
lemon zest
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1/2 teaspoon
cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
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4
medium peaches, ripe but firm, skin on, cut in half and pitted
-
4
sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
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juice of ½ lemon
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2 tablespoons
light brown sugar
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pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
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1 tablespoon
unsalted butter, melted
-
vegetable oil
Directions
- for the semifreddo
-
Mix together the goat cheese, mascarpone and crème fraiche. Add honey and lemon zest, and mix well. Strip thyme leaves and blossoms off stems and fold into the goat cheese mixture. Add the vanilla ice cream and stir gently. Lumps are okay. Pour into a plastic-lined mini loaf pan or mold and freeze for 2 – 3 hours.
- For the blueberry sauce and the peaches
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Combine blueberries, sugar and zest in a small pot, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer.
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Add cornstarch slurry, and stir occasionally until slightly thickened. Set aside.
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Go get the semifreddo out of the freezer. Place it on the counter for 10 or 15 minutes, so it’s easier to slice.
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Mix together the lemon juice, brown sugar and nutmeg. Stir in the melted butter. Place peaches in a bowl and pour lemon juice mixture over. Sprinkle with thyme and toss. Set aside for a few minutes to let flavors meld.
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Heat grill or ridged grill pan to medium. Brush grill or grill pan with vegetable oil.
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Place peaches cut side down and cook for about 10 minutes. Reserve any remaining lemon juice/sugar mixture. When peaches are slightly soft and have nicely browned grill marks, remove to a dish.
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Place 2 peach halves in each shallow serving bowl. If you have any leftover lemon juice mixture, drizzle it over the peaches.
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Remove plastic-wrapped semifreddo from pan. Unwrap. Run a knife under hot water. Slice the semifreddo into portions. Reheat your knife and continue slicing. Place slice(s) alongside peaches.
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Spoon blueberry sauce over the peaches and the semifreddo. Enjoy!
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