Photo by Eddie Pierce/iStock
SERVES 6
¼ cup heavy cream
1 jalapeno pepper, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup mascarpone cheese*
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon
6 slightly firm peaches
1 tablespoon olive oil for coating peaches
Salt
6 slices of any white cake
* May substitute ¾ cup cream cheese mixed with ¼ cup sour cream
Preheat grill to medium heat. In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream with jalapeno pepper, but do not bring to a boil. Remove from heat; allow mixture to cool, then strain. In a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream mixture, granulated sugar and mascarpone until stiff and fluffy. Set aside. In another small pan, heat brown sugar with 1 tablespoon of bourbon; when no more sugar crystals remain, stir in the additional bourbon. Simmer for 1 minute or until bubbly, then remove from heat; syrup will thicken slightly after it cools down. Set syrup aside. Halve peaches and discard pits. Oil and salt the cut sides very lightly. Grill peaches cut side down, just enough to mark once. Place cake slices on well-oiled grill until grill marks appear, about 30–45 seconds. Top grilled cake and peaches with whipped mascarpone and drizzle with bourbon syrup. Serve warm.
CHRIS KRAUS, HILTON HEAD ISLAND