Raise your hand if you are freaking out that it’s peach season! Grilled Peach Crostini with Mascarpone and Honey is the perfect summer appetizer.
Grilling peaches is a must during the summer months! Grilled peach wedges and baguette slices are grilled up, the bread is topped with some creamy mascarpone, layered with a grilled peach wedge, and topped with honey and a drizzle of aged balsamic and fresh mint. You’re gonna love this summer treat!
The Treat of a Grilled Peach
We grill all the fruit in the summer months, especially as they start to reach their peak freshness. Nearly all tree fruits do well grilled hot and fast, and we love to use fresh South Georgia blueberries to smoke low and slow and incorporate into savory sauces or cocktails.
But there’s just something about peaches that makes them extra tasty when grilled, and they're one of my favorites. They’re great on their own, served over ice cream, pizzas, or like we’re doing today, as a topping for a simple and delicious crostini. This is a fantastic appetizer (or meal, as I proved when making one of the test batches!).
Before peach season is over, you MUST make these Grilled Peach Crostini. It's such an easy appetizer or finger food to whip up, and they literally explode with flavor in your mouth. My mouth is watering right now just thinking of them!
They're great for a party or just as an excuse to use the grill – because you don't have to just cook meat on grills. As a young chef, I didn't realize I was going to love to grill so much. Grilled fruits and vegetables are one of my favorite things now. It's a great way to switch up how you eat them, and it brings a whole different flavor.
Buy Local, Eat Healthier
Crostini aren't known to be the healthiest thing to eat, but luckily with healthier options nowadays, I was able to make these good for your taste buds and your body! Peaches are full of good nutrients, and I always give them the label of “Southern Superfood.” I used bread and peaches from the Statesboro Farmer’s Market for my version. The bread is made with fewer ingredients than most store-bought breads, so our bodies process it much differently.
As I always say, check the ingredients on everything! Usually local bakers use cleaner ingredients. Thank the Lord for dairy-free cream cheese, too! You can even use that here in place of the creamy mascarpone if you want. Thankfully there's a lot of options for dairy-free cream cheese that you can buy now. You can also make it yourself. Just Google “dairy-free cream cheese recipe” and you should be able to find one.
Remember, the ingredients in this shouldn't be much. You can also add leafy greens to this, as it's one of the best foods we should eat every day. Arugula is a great option from the cruciferous vegetable family, same as kale, so you're getting all those cancer and disease fighting benefits! I top it all off with local honey and a balsamic reduction, which you can easily make yourself, or you can buy it pre-made from the grocery store.
Sweet Summer
One of my favorite quotes about peaches is: "An apple is an excellent thing -- until you have tried a peach." Another one of my favorites is: "A Georgia peach, a real Georgia peach, a backyard great-grandmother's orchard peach, is as thickly furred as a sweater, and so fluent and sweet that once you bite through the flannel, it brings tears to your eyes."
All in all, this is a delicious way to enjoy those amazing peaches and a great way to use a grill without cooking meat. I'm curious, what's your favorite thing to cook on the grill besides meat? And what are some of your favorite summertime foods? Is it peaches? Is it other fruits? Desserts? Quick meals?
Whatever the case may be, I hope that my passion for food resonates with you. After all, the love of food is how we know who we are, and it’s how we know we’re connected.
Stay hungry my friends, and thank you for your support!
Grilled Peach Crostini with Mascarpone and Honey
Ingredients
- 4 peaches, pitted and sliced into wedges (Note: Slightly underripe peaches work best.)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 baguette, sliced into 24 slices
- Butter for the baguette
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese
- Honey, for drizzling (smoked honey or fresh)
- Aged balsamic or balsamic reduction, for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint (or basil, if you prefer)
Let's put it together!
- Preheat your grill to the highest setting.
- Slice the baguette into rounds and spread the butter on one side (or both if you wish!). Place the slices on a baking sheet to easily take them out to the grill.
- Next, prepare the peaches for the grill! Slice them in half, remove the pits, brush them with olive oil, and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Place them on a baking sheet too!
- Take everything out to the grill. Put the peaches on first, cut-side down, because they will need a few minutes – about 4 to 5 minutes. You can grill the uncut side for 1 to 2 minutes if you wish.
- While the peaches are on the grill, place the bread slices on the grill. They will only need 1 to 2 minutes on the grill, so you can start flipping them as soon as every slice gets on the grill!
- Transfer the grilled bread and peaches back to the baking sheet. Slice the peaches once they are cool enough to touch.
- To assemble the crostini, spread mascarpone on each slice of toast. Top with a grilled peach slice (or 2, there are no rules here!). Drizzle with the honey and balsamic, and garnish with the fresh mint or basil.
- Serve immediately. Happy cooking my friends!
Wine Pairing for Grilled Peach Crostini
This dish isn’t as sweet as it looks. It has the savory toasted baguette and creamy mascarpone to balance out some of the sweetness. I also recommend serving as an appetizer.
Bubbly Moscato d’Asti works great with this, as does a fruity Prosecco. The bubbles are a great match for the creamy cheese, and you’ll find some bright peach characteristics to the wines. Alternatively, Riesling and Pinot Gris (or Grigio) work well too.
Some Peach FAQ
Do peaches need to be ripe to grill?
It’s much easier to slice and remove pits when peaches are slightly under ripe. While the taste of under ripe peaches won’t be as sweet as a fully ripe peach, it will grill easier.
When you grill peaches, it brings out and intensifies the natural sweetness in peaches, so the flavor will be maximized when you finally bite into the grilled fruit. The result will be sweet, caramelized, and oh-so-delicious.
How do I halve and pit peaches for grilling?
The easiest way we find to prep peaches for this recipe is to slice the fruit into wedges and work out the wedges in preparation for grilling. Hold the peach with one hand (or on a cutting board) and find the natural seam that runs from one end to the other. Run along that with your knife, and gently remove one wedge at a time.
Alternatively, using both hands, slice the peach in half using that natural seam and twist the peach until you have 2 halves. This is easier with firm peaches. Softer peaches will have to be cut into individual wedges to remove because they will otherwise crush as you try to separate the halves.
Using a spoon or paring knife to gently loosen the pit and remove, after it has been halved, is helpful.
How do I grill peaches?
Once you’ve sliced your peaches into wedges, drizzle them with olive oil and place them on a hot grill for about 3-4 minutes per side, until you see grill marks and they look slightly caramelized.
Pro Chef Tip: The grill needs to be blazing hot, like 500 degree sear hot. Otherwise the peaches will not sear; they will get mushy.
How else can I serve grilled peaches?
- Over ice cream
- Drizzled with honey
- A topping for grilled flatbread
- With grilled pork or chicken
- Accompanying a salad