Who knew you could grill peaches? This is a fun and easy dessert to add to your backyard BBQ.

The Science

Stone fruits such as peaches and nectarines are an important fruit because not only are they delicious, they are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. One study in the journal Foods tried to extent the shelf-life of peaches by applying thyme and savory essential oils, which are known to be anti-fungal. While they did not find that mold was kept at bay by the essential oils, they did find that applications of the oils helped reduce water loss and maintained vitamin C and carotenoid contents.

The Recipe

photo credit: Luann Hunt

Ingredients

• Slightly under-ripe organic peaches (as many as you like)
• Salt
• Olive oil for brushing
• Optional: ground cinnamon
• Vanilla ice cream for serving

Cooking Directions

1. Get your grill nice and hot. It’s always a good idea to clean the grill before you cook anything, and it’s a lot easier to do this when it’s hot. Scrape the grill with a wire brush, then use an old rag and wipe some vegetable oil over it very quickly.
2. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Season the cut surface with salt and brush olive oil on them. You can optionally add a sprinkle of cinnamon at this time as well.
3. Grill the peaches for about 6 minutes or so until you get nice grill marks on them. Resist the urge to move them around too much on the grill. Remove when hot and juicy.
4. Serve them warm with vanilla ice cream.

Banner Photo Credit: manyakotic; istockphoto.com