Peaches are my favorite.  Not just my favorite fruit, but my favorite food.  I love chocolate and French fries like everyone else, but to me, neither can compare to the first bite of a fresh, juicy, perfectly ripe peach.  As the juice runs down my face and makes a mess, all I can think is, “This is the greatest thing in the world.”

More specifically, the peaches grown at Bennett Orchards in Frankford, Delaware are the greatest in the world.  I discovered them a few years ago at a farmer’s market while on vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  For $1.25 per peach, I rolled my eyes and almost walked away the first time I came across them.  But, as the line grew longer and longer and the baskets of peaches became more and more scarce, I became curious about their popularity.  I decided to buy four and after one bite I regretted not buying ten more of them.

Since then, I have been buying dozens every year.  Our whole family is a fan of these peaches, especially on a hot day at the beach.  The idea to grill them came about while we sat in traffic on the trip down.  We were listing everything we loved about Delaware and of course, Bennett Orchard peaches were on the list.  I had remembered reading about grilled peaches in a recent issue ofCooking Light and thought it would be a great way to do something fun with our favorite fruit. 

I bought the peaches, the rest of the ingredients and everything was going according to plan, until Hurricane Irene hit.  The winds picked up and our mini grill from Target blew away.  Considering we spent more money on the peaches than we did on the grill, we were pretty disappointed that we wouldn’t get to enjoy some delicious peaches and cream.  Thankfully, however, we managed to find a grill pan tucked away in the back pantry of our condo.  Irene may have cut our vacation short a day, but we weren’t going to let her blow away our fun!

I didn’t do much to change this recipe because the simplicity of grilled peaches is what makes them so great.  The syrup adds the perfect amount of sweetness and the vanilla ice cream is a cool compliment to the warm fruit.

Grilled Peaches with Agave Syrup and Vanilla Ice Cream

Photos by Julianne Hodges 

Recipe by Sugarcrafter

For the syrup:

• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tbsp rum
• 1/3 cup light agave

For the peaches:

• 4 peaches, halved and pitted
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Vanilla ice cream

1. Heat the brown sugar, rum and agave in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Once it begins to boil, bring the temperature down to low heat and let reduce to about half.  It should be slightly thick but still pourable.  If it gets too thick, add water and cook down a little longer until it reaches the right consistency.
2. Lightly brush each of the peach halves with olive oil and place cut-side down over a grill or grill pan at medium heat.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Drizzle the syrup over the peaches and top with ice cream.