Peaches and nectarines get a serious summer upgrade with rosemary and honey syrup. This simple dessert is bursting with flavor and makes a beautifully cool and fresh finish to dinner on a warm evening.
Similar fruits make pleasing salads. Nectarines and peaches, both stone fruit, work well together because of their similar textures. A honey and rosemary syrup adds an unexpected hit of flavor.–Irit Ishai
Peaches and Nectarines with Rosemary and Honey Syrup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 sprig (4 1/2 inches long) rosemary more for garnish
- 4 medium white or yellow peaches
- 4 medium white or yellow nectarines
Directions
- Combine the honey, sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the rosemary and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 7 minutes to let the rosemary infuse. Strain through a fine sieve, let cool, and refrigerate to chill completely.
- Just before serving, halve and pit the peaches and nectarines. Cut the fruit into 1/4 inch slices and put them in a large serving bowl. Pour on just enough of the rosemary syrup to lightly coat the fruit, about 6 tablespoons. Garnish the peaches and nectarines with fresh sprigs of rosemary, if you like.
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Rosemary pairs so nicely with so many things, so I was excited to try it with peaches and nectarines. Well, it works! The sweet honey syrup with a hint of rosemary is delightful. This opens up all sorts of other possibilities, including infusing the syrup with lavender, basil, or lemongrass. My husband and I are going to have it with blueberries later this evening, as blueberries love rosemary. I would think guests would really enjoy this for breakfast, perhaps with some Greek yogurt and toasted hazelnuts.
Dessert in under 15 minutes….yes please! If you’re like me, you take advantage of the wonderful summer fruit. Peaches and their fur-less cousin, the nectarine, are some of my favorites. Topped off with a simple syrup infused with just the right amount of rosemary, and voila! You have dessert……or a mid-afternoon snack. The peaches and nectarines with rosemary honey syrup are a snap to put together and are light and refreshing. You can use any leftover simple syrup to make a Gin Mule or add it to another cocktail. Delicious!
This is a stunning little dessert. It is both subtle and elegant and just screams summer goodness. The syrup is indeed simple to make, but the flavor is far from simple. The rosemary was subtle but so lovely with the fruit. The second time I made the syrup (a double batch!), I brought the mixture to a boil, cooked it for 7 minutes. Then I added three strips of orange zest, a few whole allspice berries, and several sprigs of fresh thyme (instead of rosemary). With the heat turned off, I popped on a cover and let the mixture stand until cool. I used this to flavor iced tea and drizzled it over not-sweet-enough fruit and goat cheese crostini. It was the perfect boost. And just yesterday, I decided to enhance white sangria with the syrup…yes, please!
This was fabulous! The hint of the rosemary in the honey syrup paired so well with the fruit. This was the perfect dessert to have on a hot summer night and will definitely be a keeper for us. I only used two of each fruit as there were only two of us but made the full amount of the rosemary honey syrup which I kept in the fridge and we had it again the following night.
Originally published August 17, 2009
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This is a stunning little dessert. It is summer. The syrup is simplicity itself, both subtle and elegant, and I suspected it was flexible, too. It worked beautifully and deliciously to sweeten iced tea. The next time I made the syrup (a double batch!), I added three strips of orange zest (because I had some and I hate to waste) and a few whole allspice berries. This was drizzled over some not-sweet-enough fruit crostini. It was the perfect boost. And just yesterday, I decided to enhance white sangria with the syrup…yes, please! Oh, the possibilities….
Wonderful, Marcia! Thank you so much for sharing all of these potential uses with us.