Grilled Peach Melba with Vanilla Bean Frozen Yogurt

Summer really seemed to sneak up on me this year. But it's here and that means a few things: fresh fruit is delicious and affordable, everyone is readying their grills, and frozen desserts are a great way to stay cool on hot days.


All of those things led me to make this new and nutritionally-improved version of the classic Peach Melba. Nearly all recipes I've seen for it include piles of sugar; I think too much sugar gets in the way of the fruits' gorgeous natural flavors. My version uses honey (and not a whole lot), which provides sweetness as well as some nutritional benefits; I grill the peaches, to caramelize their natural sugars and highlight their sweet taste; I've also swapped out the traditional vanilla ice cream for lightly-sweetened frozen Greek yogurt—it's creamy and delicious and packed with probiotics and protein!

As we've discussed previously, peaches are a good source of vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and fiber. Speaking of fiber, raspberries are an amazing source—there are eight grams in just one cup of the vibrant berries! So, next time you're tempted to eat a super-processed Fiber One bar, reach for a bowl of raspberries instead. Anyhoo, back to the Grilled Peach Melba...


Ingredients
serves 4

• 3 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 vanilla bean

• 1 1/2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• 2 T honey
• 2 tsp 100% raspberry fruit spread

• 2 large peaches, quartered
• coconut oil for grilling

Put the yogurt into a bowl. Slice open the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds onto the yogurt.

We interrupt this regularly-scheduled blogpost to remind you not to throw out that empty pod! Toss it in a jar with your sugar to make vanilla sugar, for use in all sorts of baking recipes...

OK, back to the yogurt. Add the honey and mix to combine all ingredients.  

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

Look at those lovely flecks of vanilla bean!

While your fro-yo is churning away, put your raspberries, honey and preserves in a small saucepan. Simmer on low for about 7-10 minutes, stirring a couple of times until the fruit has broken down and is well combined with the jam and honey. Remove from the heat and let cool until the mixture thickens.

Brush the fleshy sides (not the skin) of each peach with some coconut oil. Place on a medium-low grill—indoor or outdoor—for a couple of minutes on each side (again, only the flesh, not the skin). You should have some nice grill marks on the peaches.

Then you just need to assemble the desserts: divide the yogurt equally among your bowls or plates, top each with two peach quarters, and drizzle raspberry sauce over the whole thing! (If you have any leftover tart-sweet raspberry sauce, try it on waffles or mixed into yogurt or smoothies.)

Although it's quite simple, it is a sort of fancy-looking dessert that could be served at a nice dinner party. But it's also fresh and bright enough to just call a sundae; let the kids help assemble them and the whole family can dig in. The perfect ending to a day of chillin' at a backyard barbecue.


Don't have an ice cream maker? You can serve it with the un-frozen yogurt—it is equally creamy and luscious. It makes for a nice breakfast. I can attest to that because I had it for breakfast yesterday!