A boozy summer dessert that makes ripe peaches shine. They are soaked in white wine and chilled, then topped with ice cream and crumbled cookies, like a cobbler for adults.
I have a small Slovenian cookbook at home that has no pictures, but is packed with recipes for cooks that want to save money. The book itself isn’t old, because it’s a reprint of older books, but the recipes are quite old. And one of them calls for strawberries, wine and some sugar. A 3-ingredient dessert is right up my alley for this time of year.
However, the second half of August isn’t optimal for strawberries anymore, so it got me thinking of other options. It was a very short thought process, because peaches are everywhere right now and they are amazing.
Just like the strawberries and wine, Italians have a concept of peaches and wine. The one and only Nigella talks about this in her article At my Table that she wrote for NY Times. She describes the Italian way of steeping peaches in red wine. I took that idea and ran with it. I don’t think eating ripe peaches and chilled wine on a hot summer day needs much convinving, so I’m sharing this no fuss, effortless recipe here today.
I’ve made a few adjustments though, mainly by adding more wine and some sugar. Just like Nigella, I’m using white dessert wine to soak the peaches. I think it looks much better than red. This way you can clearly see the peaches swimming in a golden glow and all that ice cream melting in.
By adding both ice cream and cookie crumbs to the boozy peaches, these are no longer just peaches in wine. It’s a full dessert. Cold and refreshing, giving you the best summer has to offer. Once you eat the peaches, the crumbs and some of the ice cream, you are left with a tiny bit of ice cream wine and it’s a delicious thing.
If peaches in alcohol aren’t your thing, you can try using alcohol free wine. You can also try some peach juice instead or as a mix-in, especially if the wine isn’t your favorite kind. It’s all about giving the peaches something to soak in, while making it tasty and fun. Because it’s summer and we all need zero-effort desserts sometimes. And wine peaches with ice cream are completely no fuss, all reward.
More recipes with peaches
- Waffles with a fresh peach sauce (Make the sauce and put it onto everything!)
- Whipped mascarpone peach tart (A labor of love, but so pretty.)
- Nectarine peach sorbet with coconut water (Accidentally vegan and perfect for hot days. You could serve this with wine soaked peaches too.)
Recipe
Wine peaches with ice cream
Ingredients
- 2 ripe peaches
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup sweet white wine like Moscato
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream
- 4 shortbread cookies crushed into crumbs
Instructions
- Peel the skin off peaches. Cut peaches into thin wedges by cutting around the pit and leaving the flesh closest to the pit behind (it can be bitter and you don’t want that). Place sliced peaches into a bowl.
- Top peaches with sugar and wine. Stir to combine then refrigerate for about 60 minutes (30 minutes works if you're using wine that was previously chilled) or up to a few hours.
- To serve, divide the peaches between 4 serving bowls (or glasses). Add some wine from the bowl to each glass, then top with a scoop of ice cream and cookie crumbs. Serve right away.
