Marinated Grilled Peaches

Some of you probably have balsamic vinegar in your cupboard and only use it for salads, or maybe you don't use it at all. But did you know that balsamic vinegar also makes a great accompaniment to fruit, especially strawberries and stone fruits, like peaches, nectarines or plums? If you don't have balsamic vinegar on hand, then buy the most inexpensive one. The grilled peaches will still be delicious. You can do this recipe on an indoor grill, too...but what fun is that?

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 4 ripe but not mushy white peaches (you can also use nectaries or plums, if you prefer)
• Juice of one lemon
• Walnut, hazelnut or other non-toasted nut oil (if you can't find this type of oil, you can use regular canola oil)
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup white sugar
• Zest of an orange
• Pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat your grill to medium and set it for direct grilling.

Cut fruit in half and remove pits. Brush with the juice of the lemon and the nut oil and set aside.

Mix vinegar, water, sugar and orange zest in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Add a pinch of salt and remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature.

Pour vinegar-sugar liquid over peaches and let sit for 10 minutes, turning occasionally to submerge all cut sides to the marinade. Remove fruit from liquid and set aside. Reserve the marinade and put in a small saucepan and simmer over a medium low heat until liquid is reduced by half. Set aside.

Place fruit skin-side down on a very clean cooking grate and grill for 5-7 minutes or until warmed through and slightly soft. If you prefer, you can raise the heat until you get some nice grill marks. Alternatively, you can use your indoor grill if you prefer.

Remove peaches from grill and place back into marinade, and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or cold with a drizzle of the reduced marinade and perhaps a scoop of vanilla ice cream.