How to use an abundance of peaches

Chef Anne’s Thyme-Roasted Peaches with Bourbon Whipped Cream and Cookie Crunch 

I love fruit desserts that make a seasonal and elegant treat with only a few ingredients. Here, I take ripe sliced peaches, roast them with fresh thyme and a little brown sugar. Roasting them creates a beautiful caramelization and transforms the juices into a beautifully pink, sweet, tart sauce. Enjoy these roasted peaches straight out of the roasting pan, or as a topping for vanilla yogurt, ice cream, or even oatmeal. 

For this recipe, I love serving the roasted peaches with bourbon whipped cream and chopped shortbread cookies for crunch. 

Chef tip…depending on the amount of peaches you want to roast, a good rule of thumb is 1 peach per 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. 

Yield 4-5 servings  

Ingredients

For the Roasted Peaches

4 whole peaches, pit removed and cut into large slices 

4 tablespoons light brown sugar

4 sprigs fresh thyme 

Pinch of salt 

For the Whipped Bourbon Cream 

1 cup heavy whipping cream, well chilled 

⅓ cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons of bourbon 

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions 

For the peaches, preheat the oven to 400F. Place the peaches in a baking dish (or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper), and sprinkle peaches with the brown sugar and thyme leaves. Toss to mix. 

Roast for 20 minutes, until peaches have browned but have still kept their shape.

To make the whipped cream, add heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer or hand mixer with whisk attachment. Using the whisk attachment, beat the cream on low speed for 1-2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and is incorporated into the heavy cream.  

Continue to mix for another minute while drizzling in vanilla and bourbon. Whip until medium-soft peaks form. 

To Finish the Dish 

2 fresh thyme sprigs 

6-8 shortbread cookies, such as lavender shortbread or orange pistachio, chopped  

Place a large spoonful of roasted peaches into 4 serving bowls. Dollop with the whipped cream. Sprinkle with chopped cookies and garnish with a few leaves of thyme from each sprig. Enjoy!