I had a dinner party recently. It was nice. All two of my friends came. I got to cook for them and sip wine and chat about all kinds of girly things. We may have listened to a little Jay-Z. One thing that I love about my friends… is that they love cheese. So, in honor of summer and the beautiful fresh peaches that are finally available, and in honor of my cheese loving girls, our theme was Peaches and Cheese.
Here was the menu:
Sweet Baguette and Dante Cheese
Baby Spinach Salad and Grilled Peaches Stuffed with Pecan Goat Cheese
Inside Out Summer Cannoli with Carmelized Peaches
Here is what you need to throw a fabulous Peaches and Cheese dinner party for 3 of your own!
1 baguette
Hors d’oeuvre cheese of your choice
Enough baby spinach for three salads
Salad dressing of your choice… something fruity, such as Raspberry Vinaigrette or Apple Poppy Seed
5 ripe peaches
1 log chevre
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small loaf of pound cake
1 stick butter
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 Tbsp brown sugar
Lots of white wine
Let your friends help cut up bread and cheese.
First, slice three of your peaches in half and remove the pits. It takes some coaxing to get them out without destroying the whole peach, but it gets easier the more you practice.
Heat a grill pan. In a separate cup, melt 1/4 stick of butter and brush it generously over the tops of the peaches.
Set the peaches on the hot grill pan and cook for about five minutes. Rotate them a quarter turn and continue to cook for another few minutes. This will give you those nice grill marks.
While the peaches are cooking, mix your chevre and 1/4 cup of pecans in a bowl. Add 1 Tbsp brown sugar. Add the black pepper to taste.
Toss your spinach with dressing and the remaining 1/4 cup pecans.
Gently remove the peaches from the pan and set two halves on top of each salad. Stuff with the cheve mixture and top with a few more pecans.
I was having too much fun and working too quickly to take many pictures of the dessert, but this is super easy.
Combine the ricotta, mascarpone, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a bowl. Fold in the hazelnuts. You can do this before dinner and keep it in the fridge.
Heat your grill pan. Slice the pound cake into 6 thin pieces. Brush with melted butter and place on grill pan for about 2 minutes.
Rotate a quarter turn and cook another couple of minutes.
Slice your remaining two peaches into wedges.
Melt 1/4 stick of butter in a saucepan and add the remaining 3 Tbsp brown sugar. Add in the peaches and cook, gently stirring for about 5 minutes. They will get all caramelized and yummy smelling.
Put the grilled pound cake on a plate. Top with some peaches (be sure to get some of the butter from the pan on there!) and finish with a couple dollops of the sweet cheese mixture.
Hope you all have a fantastic weekend with lots of sun and lots of yummy food. XOXO
Beautiful summer dinner!! I love grilled fruit…and cheese!