Grilled Vanilla Pound Cake, Sweetened Goat Cheese Cream & Georgia Peaches
Fire Up the Grill for a Peachy Summer Dessert
One trip to the Asheville Farmer’s Market just proved exactly what I have been hoping for….Georgia Peaches are in season! Yay! I felt like turning a cartwheel at the the mere site of these juicy little wonders. Luckily for all that were present - I didn’t but I did manage to get my hands all over the fuzzy fruit. If you are like me, I can’t count how many times I have gone to the grocery store only to be disappointed in the ripeness of stone fruits like plums, peaches and nectarines. As a kid I can remember biting into a peach only to have the juice squirt out and dribble down my chin. Oh my gosh, I loved that it was so juicy and tasted like summer. That was the then - before fruit was harvested prematurely to travel long distances before reaching it destinations. As an adult I feel like I have been on a mission to find the elusive perfectly ripe peaches of my youth! That is the joy of the locally grown produce at the Farmer’s Market.
PREPARING THE PEACHES
Select 6 fresh ripe peaches. A ripe peach will be slightly soft when gently squeezed. Make sure to select peaches that are not bruised.
Segment the peaches around the center stone. I prefer to leave the peach skins on the fruit but you may choose to remove the skin with a vegetable peeler.
Place the peaches in a bowl and sprinkle 1/4 cup of white granulated sugar on top of the peach segments.
Gently toss the the peaches in the sugar. Cover and place in the refrigerate.
SWEETENED GOAT CHEESE CREAM
Ingredients:
4 ounces goat cheese
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla beans, scraped from the pod.
Directions:
Place goat cheese, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment, blend the two ingredients together. Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the center and side of the bowl.
Slowly stream in the heavy cream and blend until the mixture becomes fluffy and whipped.
Chill until ready to use.
VANILLA SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
2 cups granulated white sugar
6 large eggs (room temperature)
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Preheat a conventional over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together (about 3 minutes).
Add the eggs and continue to blend until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend for an additional minute.
Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and blend until incorporated. Don't forget to scrape down the sides of the paddle and bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are well combined.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until the batter is smooth and incorporated.
Prepare a medium sized loaf pan by pan spraying the the insides of the pan. Optional: insert a piece of parchment to cover the bottom and long sides of the loaf pan. This will help removing your pound cake in one clean loaf.
Place in pre-heated oven and bake until the loaf is lightly golden in color and a sharp knife can be inserted and comes out clean.
Set aside loaf to cool. Remove loaf from the pan and place it in the freezer for a minimum of 2 hours or over night.
Cut the cold pound cake into slices and lay them on a parchment lined pan. Check out the Super Helpful Tip Alert below.
Spread a thin coating of soft butter or mayonnaise on each side of the slice. If you haven’t tried mayonnaise before you will find that it makes an excellent crispy finish.
Place of a hot grill and toast on both sides. Remove and serve with fresh fruit and sweetened goat cheese cream.
SUPER HELPFUL TIP ALERT -
Cutting cake frozen (or near frozen) allows you to make extremely clean slices. Use caution when cutting. If the loaf is too frozen and proves difficult to cut then simply wait a few minutes and try again.
Garnish with garden basil or thyme.
