Fuel your body, lift your mood, and keep things simple. That’s what the Recovery Kitchen is all about.
There’s something quietly transformative about a simple, beautifully prepared dish and Chef Blake’s grilled peaches capture that spirit perfectly. At ViaMar, recipes like this are about more than flavor; they reflect our commitment to the All Foods Fit philosophy, where no food is off-limits and every ingredient has a place at the table. Sweet, caramelized fruit paired with creamy ice cream invites both nourishment and enjoyment, reinforcing the idea that food can be satisfying, balanced, and even joyful without guilt or restriction. By embracing variety and honoring both taste and nourishment, this dish becomes a small but meaningful step toward rebuilding trust with food and reconnecting with the pleasure of eating
In the Recovery Kitchen, food isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress, comfort,
and rediscovering joy
HOW TO MAKE GRILLED FRESH PEACHES
Ingredients
- 4 Fresh Peaches (halved) Pit removed
- Sugar
- 2 tbsp Butter or extra-virgin olive oil for brushing the peaches
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- Vanilla ice cream
tsp = teaspoon
tbsp = tablespoon
dollop = an informal amount, usually roughly a heaping spoonful. Adjust the amount to your taste
Directions
- Don’t like peach fuzz? Blanch** and remove the skin
- Wash the peaches, pat dry, cut in half and remove the pit
- Preheat a grill pan** or grill to medium heat.
- Brush the cut side of the peach half with some melted butter or olive oil
- Grilled the peaches cut side down for 4 to 7 minutes until the peaches just start to get juicy and are lightly charred. The riper your peaches, the less time they’ll need to cook
- Remove from the heat
- Mix the cinnamon and sugar together and sprinkle on the tops of the grilled peaches
- Serve with a scoop of ice cream
Blanch** See Below our section on blanching peaches
TOPPING VARIATIONS
- Garnish the grilled peaches with fresh basil or mint leaves
- Add a dollop of whipped cream or crème fraiche to the grilled peach halves
- Add a spoonful of granola with a dollop of Greek Yogurt to the grilled peach halves
- Sprinkle toasted pecans or walnuts mixed with the cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on the grilled peach halves
- Substitute the cinnamon with cardamon, or cayenne for a heated kick
- Add ½ tsp of salt to the sugar and cinnamon mixture
Blanching vs Not Blanching Peaches
Whether to blanch peaches or not really comes down to texture and presentation preference. Leaving the skin on adds color, structure, and a slightly firmer bite, which many people enjoy when grilling peaches because the skin helps hold the fruit together on the grill.
Blanching and peeling peaches, however, creates a softer, smoother texture and allows the caramelized fruit flavor to stand out without the slight chew of the skin. For desserts with whipped cream or ice cream, some people prefer the more delicate, melt-in-your-mouth feel of peeled peaches.
How To Blanche Peaches
Step‑by‑step blanching
Blanched peach
- Prepare an ice bath
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and plenty of ice; set aside.
- Boil water
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil (4–6 inches deep is enough).
- Score the peaches (optional but helpful)
- With a paring knife, cut a small shallow “X” on the bottom of each peach; this helps the skin loosen.
- Blanch the peaches
- Gently lower 3–4 peaches at a time into the boiling water with a slotted spoon.
- Let them sit in the boiling water about 30–60 seconds, just until the skin around the “X” starts to curl or loosen.
- Shock in ice water
- Immediately transfer peaches to the ice bath and cool 30–60 seconds so they stop cooking and are cool enough to handle.
- Peel
- Starting at the “X,” use your fingers or a small knife to pull the skin off; it should slip off easily, leaving the flesh intact
Don't Have a Grill? No Problem
If you don’t have an outdoor grill, there are several easy ways to make grilled peaches indoors while still getting delicious caramelization and flavor. A stovetop grill pan is one of the best alternatives because the ridges create similar grill marks and help the peaches develop a lightly smoky, charred surface. Simply heat the pan over medium-high heat, brush the peaches with butter or oil, and cook cut-side down until softened and caramelized.
You can also use a cast iron skillet or nonstick frying pan. While you won’t get grill lines, the peaches will still become golden and sweet as the natural sugars caramelize. Another option is using your oven broiler. Place the peaches cut-side up or down on a baking sheet and broil them for a few minutes until lightly charred and bubbling. Indoor electric grills, air fryers with grill settings, or countertop griddles can work well too for achieving that warm, roasted flavor without needing an outdoor setup.
What is a Grill Pan?
A grill pan is essentially a frying pan whose cooking surface has parallel raised ridges, usually about 1–2 cm high.
Those ridges create dark grill marks.
Grilling Food Facts & Flavor Science
When you put a peach on a hot grill (or grill pan), two things happen:
Natural sugars caramelize
Peaches are naturally high in sugars like fructose and glucose. The heat causes those sugars to break down and brown, creating that deeper, richer, slightly toasty sweetness—this is true caramelization.
You also get light charring (Maillard reaction)
The grill marks you see aren’t just caramelization—they’re partly from proteins and sugars reacting together (the Maillard reaction), which adds complexity and a slightly smoky flavor.
Recipe Tips
- Buy your peaches a couple of days before using so that they are soft and ripe.
- The best peaches for grilling or broiling are freestone peaches since the pit can be easily removed. If you don’t have access to freestone peaches, you can use clingstone peaches. Carefully cut the pits out if using clingstone peaches.
- Grilled peaches are best hot from the grill, when they’re juicy and tender.
