Juicy, chargrilled peaches turn soft and sticky in the oven with a Marsala and cinnamon glaze. They sit on a bed of smooth ricotta and are topped with crunchy pistachios, peppery rocket, and salty ricotta salata shards that cut through the sweetness beautifully.
Prep: less than 30 mins
Cook: 10 to 30 mins
Serves: Serves 2
Dietary: Egg-free, Gluten-free, Vegetarian
By Matt TebbuttFrom Saturday Kitchen Recipes
This roasted peaches with ricotta salata dish receives a Nutri-Score of E due to the high sugar content from the honey, Marsala and caster sugar combined with the saturated fat from the butter and cheese.
Per serving (approximate): 850 kcal, 43g fat (of which 22g saturates), 72g carbohydrates, 58g sugars, 3g fibre, and 16g protein.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the roasted peaches
- 4 peaches, halved or quartered, stones removed
- 40g/1½oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100ml/3½fl oz Marsala wine
- 40g/1½oz salted butter
- Pinch of salt
To serve
- 200g/7oz ricotta
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 75g/2½oz unsalted pistachios, toasted and chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh mint
- 10g/1/3oz rocket
- 75g/2½oz ricotta salata or Manchego, cut into shards
Customise
- Swap peaches for ripe nectarines or apricots when they are in season
- Replace ricotta salata with crumbled feta for a sharper, saltier finish
- Use amaretti biscuits instead of pistachios for a crunchy, almond-flavoured topping
- Swap Marsala wine for port or sweet sherry to change the depth of the roasting juices
- Replace rocket with watercress for a more peppery bite against the sweet fruit
Method
Chargrill the Peaches (8 mins — preheat oven during this step to overlap)
- Preheat the oven — Get your oven up to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 straight away so it is piping hot and ready for the peaches as soon as they come off the griddle.
- Sear the fruit — Heat a griddle pan over a high heat until it is smoking. Add the peach halves or quarters cut-side down and let them cook without moving for 5 to 8 minutes until they develop those beautiful dark chargrilled lines. This caramelises the natural sugars and adds a lovely smoky edge to the roasted peaches with ricotta salata.
Roast the Peaches (20 mins — done mostly hands-off)
- Build the roasting liquid — Transfer the chargrilled peaches to an ovenproof dish and sprinkle them with the caster sugar and ground cinnamon. Pour over the Marsala wine, add a pinch of salt, and dot the surface with small pieces of the salted butter.
- Bake until tender — Cover the dish tightly with foil and pop it into the hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The foil traps the steam, which helps the peaches turn incredibly soft and juicy while the Marsala, butter and sugar bubble together into a gorgeous syrupy sauce.
Assemble and Serve (5 mins — toast pistachios while peaches roast)
- Prepare the base — Spread the creamy ricotta generously across a serving plate, creating a soft, white bed for the peaches to sit on. Drizzle the runny honey over the ricotta and scatter over the chopped, toasted pistachios so they are ready to catch all those lovely roasting juices.
- Arrange the peaches — Carefully lift the hot peaches out of the roasting dish and arrange them on top of the ricotta. Tuck the fresh mint leaves and peppery rocket among the peaches for a burst of green, then scatter over the shards of ricotta salata or Manchego.
- Finish with the juices — Spoon every last drop of those sticky, Marsala-spiked roasting juices from the ovenproof dish over the top of everything. The salty cheese and peppery leaves will balance the sweet syrup perfectly, so serve this roasted peaches with ricotta salata straight away while it is still warm.