Grilled Peaches in Primitivo

As followers of this blog may recall, Clare and I recently hosted a wine dinner based upon Mario Batali's cookbook, Italian Grill.  We served an appetizer of Portobellos with Arugula and Parmigiano and a main course of Chicken Thighs with Snap Peas and Agliata.  When it came to the dessert, we had a problem.  While Italian Grill has a lot of great recipes, it did not have any dessert recipes.  We needed a dessert recipe that involved the use of a grill so that we could keep true to our theme of Mario Batali's Italian Grill.

I follow Mario Batali on Twitter, so I sent a tweet to him asking if he knew of any good dessert recipes that involve the use of a grill.  I explained that we were trying to prepare a three course dinner based on his cookbook, and we needed a dessert recipe that included grilling as part of the recipe.  Unfortunately, Mario did not respond to my tweet.

So, Clare and I were left to our own devices.  I wanted to stay true to the theme of our wine dinner.  So, I poured through our other Mario Batali cookbooks and found a recipe that I could easily modify into a grill recipe.   The recipe is Peaches in Primitivo, from Mario's Molto Italiano cookbook.  Mario explains that serving fruit with red wine is a tradition in Puglia.  The tradition is very simple ... just chill the wine and pour it over the fruit.  Mario's recipe turns the wine into a sweet syrup that can be drizzled over the fruit.

 

To bring this recipe into the theme of an Italian grill, I decided to halve the peaches, remove the pits, and grill the peaches for just about one to two minutes on each side until the grill marks began to show.  When it came to presentation, I sliced the peaches, drizzled the Primitivo syrup over them, and served it with some vanilla ice cream.   

GRILLED PEACHES IN PRIMITIVO

Recipe adapted from Mario Batali's Molto Italiano, p. 486

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups of sugar

2 cups of Primitivo di Gioia (from Puglia) or 

     other dry red wine

1 clove

4 peaches

1 tablespoon of grapeseed or canola oil

Directions:

1.  Make the Primitivo Syrup.  In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, red wine, and clove, bring to a simmer and simmer until reduced by half, about 30 minutes.  Let cool and remove the clove.  (The syrup can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 week.)  

2.  Grill the peaches.  Heat a grill on medium heat.  Slice the peaches in half and remove the pits.  Brush the cut sides of the peaches with the grapeseed oil.  Grill the peaches on the cut sides for 1 to 2 minutes, or until grill marks begin to show.  Flip the peaches and grill for a minute longer.  Remove. 

3.  Plate the dish.  Slice the peaches and divide them among four footed bowls.  Pour 1/4 cup of the Primitivo syrup over the peaches and serve.

PAIRING THIS RECIPE

Given this dish was served at a wine dinner, it comes with a pairing.  That pairing is suggested by the recipe's name ... Primitivo wine.  The wine served at our wine dinner was a Caleo Primitivo (2011), which was produced with grapes from the southern region of Puglia.  The wine went very well with this recipe. 

ENJOY!