Recipe: Hibiscus-Roasted Peaches with Brown-Sugar Breadcrumbs
A delicious dessert to try at home
- Serves: 4-8
- FOR THE BREADCRUMBS
- 60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter
- 125 g (41/2 oz/1½ cups) coarse fresh breadcrumbs or panko
- 45 g (11/2 oz/¼ cup) light brown sugar
- flaky sea salt
- FOR THE PEACHES AND ASSEMBLY
- 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) ripe peaches or nectarines, halved and pitted
- 110 g (4 oz/½ cup) white sugar, plus more as needed (see Note)
- 3–4 tablespoons dried hibiscus flowers (see Note)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- vanilla ice cream, to serve
Make the breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the breadcrumbs start to brown, 3–4 minutes.
Add the sugar and continue to cook until it has begun to caramelise, and the breadcrumbs take on a deep golden brown colour, another 2–3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and season with flaky salt.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
For the peaches and assembly. Place the peaches, cut side down, in a large baking dish.
Sprinkle with the sugar and add the hibiscus flowers, lemon juice and water.
Roast the peaches, without turning, until the edges are bubbling and a good, syrupy sauce has formed in the baking dish, 15–20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve the peaches over ice cream and topped with breadcrumbs.
NOTE
If the peaches you’re using are especially tart or hard and out of season, you may want to add another tablespoon or two of sugar to compensate. Dried hibiscus flowers (a.k.a. sorrel, or ‘flor de Jamaica’) are available in Latin and Caribbean grocery stores and spice shops.
DO AHEAD
Breadcrumbs can be made up to 4 days ahead, wrapped and stored at room temperature. Peaches can be roasted up to 2 days ahead, covered and refrigerated.
NOTHING FANCY: unfussy food for having people over by Alison Roman (Hardie Grant, £22) Photography: Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott
