Recipe: Roast peaches

The flavour of most fruit intensifies when warmed. That's one of the reasons fresh fruit tastes so good when eaten straight from a Mediterranean market.

 

To serve two

 

Four peaches

Two tablespoons demerara sugar

50g unsalted butter

One vanilla pod

Four tablespoons of double cream

Vanilla ice cream

 

Pre heat the oven to gas mark 6 (200°C). Cut a thin slice off the base of each peach so that it can stand without rolling around. Then make four cuts down to the stone in the other end of the peach to produce an asterix shape.

 

Melt the butter in a hot, oven-proof saucepan large enough to take all the peaches. Add the peaches and roll them around in the melted butter to coat. Add the vanilla pod, the sugar and the cream. Bring to the boil, thoroughly stir once more, and put into the oven for five minutes.

 

To serve, place the peaches on warmed serving plates and spoon the sauce over and around. Serve with vanilla ice cream.