Wine-Marinated Peaches

Ingredients (per person):
1 peach
1 tsp fresh chopped mint
1 Tbls brown sugar
¼ C white wine (a Riesling is nice...sweet)

In a bowl, mix sugar and wine until sugar is dissolved. Add chopped mint.

Pit and dice the peach (peel it if you want, but it's not necessary; white peaches look especially pretty). Add peach pieces to wine mixture, stirring to coat. Place in refrigerator to marinate 1-2 hours before serving; stir it once or twice while marinating to make sure all peach pieces are coated/soaking in wine mixture.

Delicious on it's own, but you can also serve it over ice cream, sponge cake, angel food cake, etc. Other fruits (strawberries, nectarines, pears, plums...) can be prepared the same way. Use more or less sugar depending on how sweet the fruit is itself.

Broiled Fruit Desserts

More of a reminder than a recipe. I usually do this with apples or bananas (I almost always have one or the other around), but I have done the same with peaches and plums; other fruits could work too.

Slice the fruit, thinly, and place it in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil and lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. I often 'dot' it with butter or sprinkle lightly with lemon juice. If desired, sprinkle with white or brown sugar. Sometimes I use sugar-cinnamon. Put it under the broiler long enough for the fruit to brown and begin to carmelize. If you want, turn the fruit and brown both sides.

The fruit can also be browned in a fry pan (with butter), or toasted on the grill.

Pictured: Apples...like apple pie, without the crust.

Pear-Ginger Crisp

2 1/2 lb firm pears
juice of one lemon
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C sweet marsala (or port or fruit juice)
1/4 C chopped crystallized ginger
1/3 C golden raisins
1/2 tsp vanilla
dash salt
2 Tbls butter

'Crisp' topping (streusel)
2/3 C flour
3 Tbls sugar
1/3 C brown sugar
1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 Tbls butter

Make crisp topping: Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed a baking sheet with parchment. Mix dry ingredients. Cut butter into small chunks. Add butter; mix on low speed until crumbly. Spread on baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until streusel is golden at edges; stir. Bake an additional 3-5 minutes until golden all over. Remove from oven and let cool.

Increase oven temp to 375°.

Peel and core pears; cut into 1" chunks. Gently mix in large bowl with lemon juice. Coat a shallow baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.

Combine sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a 3-4 quart pan. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar begins to brown (4-7 minutes). Swirling pan occasionally, boil 1-2 minutes more until sugar is golden brown. Remove from heat, let cool 30 seconds. Gently stir in pears; sugar will thicken. Return pan to heat and cook, stirring occasionally until sugar melts again, 2-3 minutes.

Add marsala, ginger, raisins, vanilla and salt. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until pears are just tender, 8-10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pears to baking dish. Add butter to pan and cook until melted. Spoon over pears. Scatter streusel over pears.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until fruit is bubbling. Let cool about 10 minutes. Server warm with vanilla ice cream.

Ginger Pear Muffins

2/3 C mild-flavor molasses
1/4 C butter, melted
1/4 C brown sugar
1 egg
1½ C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ C boiling water
2 small pears
4+ oz dark chocolate
raw sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat 12 muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray or line with cupcake papers.


Wash pears and pat dry. Cut into 6 wedges each, removing core. Break chocolate into small pieces.

Whisk together molasses, butter, brown sugar and egg. Add flour and spices all at once; stir until combined. Whisk in boiling water. Pour equal amounts into 12 muffin cups. Place 1 pear wedge in each muffin, pressing lightly.

Bake 18 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Add chocolate pieces to muffin tops; cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Use a table knife to smooth melted chocolate. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Remove from muffin pan and cool completely.