Grilled Nectarines with Ice Cream and Vegan Caramel
I love a simple dessert that celebrates fresh in-season produce and right now is the best time to enjoy stone fruit. Grilling and caramelizing the nectarines in this recipe really helps to bring out their flavor. This pairing of the bright and juicy fruit with creamy vanilla ice cream and rich caramel is the perfect summer treat!
How to Pick the Perfect Nectarines for Grilling
When it comes to picking the perfect nectarines at the grocery store, I tend to go for ones that are rock hard and then let them ripen on the counter. This way you avoid bruised ones from the way that people tend to man-handle them at the store.
How to Store Nectarines
Nectarines will continue to ripen at room temperature. They should never be refrigerated until they are fully ripe or they will be flavorless and a strange texture. So, let them ripen on the counter before popping them in the fridge.
How to Know When a Nectarine is Ripe
Your nectarines are ripe when they are firm but have a little give when gently squeezed. They will also be fragrant. Unripe nectarines will give off little to no aroma and fully ripened fruit is extremely aromatic.
How to Slice and Pit a Nectarine
When ripe, a nectarine should easily slice down the middle and twist apart, just like you slice an avocado in half. Then, you can simply pry the pit from the center.
Ingredients:
Nectarines
Plant-based butter, melted
Dairy-free vanilla ice cream (I used Ripple)
Vegan Caramel (I used this recipe from the Sweet Laurel Cookbook)
I used nectarines for this recipe because I hate the texture of peach fuzz in my mouth, but feel free to use peaches if you prefer. You can, of course, also use regular butter, ice cream, and conventional caramel if you don’t have dietary restrictions or preferences. I think one half of a nectarine and one scoop of ice cream is the perfect serving size for each person. So, this is the guideline that I use when deciding how many nectarines and how much ice cream I’ll need.
Directions:
Slice the nectarines in half and remove the pit.
Brush them with a generous amount of melted butter.
Slowly preheat your cast-iron grill pan on medium heat (I used this one from Le Creuset) or your outdoor grill to medium-high. Once it’s hot, place the nectarines cut side down on the pan. Gently press on the tops (skip this if you’re using an outdoor grill) and cook until grill marks appear and the fruit begins to caramelize.
Once they’re done, remove nectarines from the pan or grill with tongs and place one half of a nectarine in a bowl and top with a scoop of ice cream. Then, drizzle with the caramel and enjoy!
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