Grilled Peaches + Peppered Vanilla Ice Cream with Balsamic Sauce


This post is sponsored by McCormick Canada.  Thank you for supporting the brands that support Poppytalk. Visit McCormick's Flavour Forecast for 2017 and get inspired!


This dessert is inspired by one of our favourite trends from the 2017 McCormick Flavour Forecast: Sweet on Pepper. "Pepper’s tongue-tingling, bold edge is tempered by naturally sweet ingredients like syrups and exotic fruits. After hiding in plain sight for so many years, pepper is finally capturing the spotlight. Its up-front bite and lingering sensation offer the next wave of spicy flavour".



We've always loved the combination of a balsamic vinegar reduction with strawberries, so we're taking it a little further adding a hint of spice with McCormick's Coarse Ground Pepper sprinkled over home made vanilla ice cream and grilled peaches. The merging of flavours will have your taste buds asking for a second helping.

Grilled Peaches + Peppered Vanilla Ice Cream with Balsamic Sauce

There's nothing like the taste of home made ice cream, so that's our base for this recipe, but if you don't have time to make it, of course feel free to pick up a pint of your favourite vanilla ice cream.  If you are going to make your own ice cream, but haven't before, allow enough time for the ice cream to harden in the freezer (at least 2 hours).

Vanilla Ice Cream
(Serves 4)

1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt 

Method
24 hours before you wish to make your ice cream. Place the freezer bowl from the ice cream maker in the freezer. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour.

Bring the freezer bowl out of the freezer and place into the ice cream maker machine. Turn on the ice cream maker first (very important), and then pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened,(about 20 minutes). The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. For a  firmer consistency, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 5 minutes before serving. 




Peppered Balamic Vinegar Sauce

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp coarse ground pepper

Pour both the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup along with the pepper into a sauce pan. Bring to boil. Reduce to a medium roll and reduce for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. You will know when it is ready, when it coats the top of a spoon. Pour into a serving dish. Set aside. Don't leave too long or it will harden a bit. If so, warm up again to soften.



Grilled Peaches

For grilling peaches, it's nice to have a pan that has a grill so you get those nice grill marks, but if you don't have one of those, searing the peaches in a cast frying pan until they are browned will work also. (Serves 4).


4 large peaches (frozen works if they aren't in season)
coconut oil

Method
Just before serving. Lightly grease the pan with coconut oil, and heat of the grill to medium heat (if using a cast iron pan). Place peaches on the grill and sear until desired grill marks appear, then flip to do the other side. Set aside peaches. Tip: After grilling, don't leave the peaches too long until you serve them, as they will brown from oxidation.



To Serve
We think it's fun to bring this out on a big platter (that we've cooled in the freezer beforehand) to serve to guests, then the guests can help themselves to a scoop of the ice cream and however many peaches they'd like. Bring more of the peppered balsamic sauce to the table, along with a few spoons of the coarse ground pepper, so that guests can season to their liking. It's always fun to see how much pepper each person likes.  For more recipes and ideas, visit McCormick's Flavour Forecast for 2017 and get inspired! Enjoy!




Jan Halvarson

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