Chinese Grilled Peaches with Peach Butter and Ginger Ice Cream

Peach halves are marinated in a mixture which contains pieces of vanilla bean and vanilla extract, olive oil, brown sugar, ground star anise, ground cinnamon and stick cinnamon, grated orange peel, whole cloves, rum, and vanilla, then grilled. They are placed on dessert plates atop peach butter. A scoop of vanilla ice cream, which has been rolled in gingersnap crumbs, fills the peach cavity. The dessert is garnished with vanilla bean pods and mint.

Ingredients:

• Peaches, halved and pitted 2
• Vanilla bean 1
• Olive oil 1/3 cup
• Brown sugar 3 tbsp.
• Ground star anise 1 tsp.
• Ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp.
• Grated peel from 1 orange Whole cloves 5 cloves
• Cinnamon stick 1 stick
• Rum 1 tbsp.
• Vanilla extract 1/2 tsp.
• Sea salt 2 pinches
• Vanilla ice cream 2 cups
• Ground ginger cookies 1/2 cup
• Peach butter 4 tbsp.
• Mint sprigs 4 sprigs

Directions:

Cut a small piece off the rounded side of each peach half so that it can lie flat. Slice the vanilla bean into 4 long slices and scrape out the seeds. Place peaches with vanilla bean and seeds and the next 10 ingredients in a medium casserole dish large enough to hold the peaches. Completely coat the peaches with the spices, sugar and oil. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, heat a gas grill to high heat. Oil the grate generously, then remove the peaches and grill each peach for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, basting often with the spiced oil. Scoop 4 medium-sized scoops of ice cream and coat them in the crushed ginger snaps. Spoon 1 tbsp. of peach butter on each of 4 dessert plates. Place a grilled peach in the center of each plate, cut side up. Top with a scoop of the gingered ice cream. Garnish with the vanilla bean pods and a sprig of mint if desired.

Number of Servings: 4 servings

Notes from the Cook: The oil used to marinate the peaches is basically a very flavorful spice oil. You can use this to baste the peaches while they are grilling. If peach butter is not available, try peach marmalade. If you can't find either, apple butter is a good substitution and is very tasty. Ground star anise is available in specialty stores and Asian markets. If you cannot find it, you can grind whole star anise in a coffee grinder. Store the ground star anise in an airtight container. Vanilla beans are found in most stores these days. The only issue is that they can be quite expensive. If you are not in the mood to buy a vanilla bean, it can be omitted in this recipe and the results will still be optimal. Try to purchase medium peaches that are not too firm and not too soft. They will be perfect for grilling.