Food - Drink
Jacques Pépin Dresses Up Fresh Peaches In An Enchanting Way
By STEPHANIE FRIEDMAN
Celebrity chef Jacques Pépin's summer dessert recipe called Peaches Marty is similar to classic baked peaches, but with a delicious topping twist.
Pépin fills peach halves with butter and light brown sugar and bakes them until slightly brown, then tops them with fluffy spoonfuls of mascarpone cheese and shredded basil.
This peach dessert tastes best when peaches are ripe in the summer, and you can make it as light or as rich as you prefer depending on the amount of mascarpone added.
The mascarpone toppings and a side of sugar cookies give the dish extra decadence — so much so that Pépin says he only serves half a peach per person.
Pépin also pours water into the pan before baking the peaches, which prevents the delicate fruits from sticking and helps create steam that makes them soft.
To make this dessert a little fancier, try eating your peaches in a bowl after topping with mascarpone, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or Greek yogurt, plus crumbled cookies.
Amaretto or almond biscotti are delicious alternatives to the sugar cookies. You can even opt for balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper for savory toppings that complement the basil.