Grilled Peach Pecan Crostini With Honey, a homemade pecan crostini bread lays the foundation for grilled peaches and a balsamic honey drizzle.
My Mediterranean tapas twist on the American loved flavors of pecans and peaches.
What Inspired This Recipe?
Believe it or not, it was my seven year old grandson!
We made a stop at a roadside stand, during peach season, and picked one ripe peach at a time until we’d filled a basket full of peaches, and came home.
Once home with our fresh peaches, the dilemma of what to do with them, began.
From The Mouths Of Babes
“Grandma, what are you going to make with these,” he asked.
“I don’t know yet. Should I make a pie?”
“No,” he replied.
“How about ice cream?” He didn’t seem impressed.
“Grandma, how about grilled cheese sandwiches with peaches!”
Good grief, only a child raised in a family of chefs (his daddy), and cooks would have thought of this.
“Great idea! I will create a new recipe with our sweet peaches and I will always remember you when I make it”!
He, of course, grinned from ear to ear.
Mediterranean Style Peach Crostini
Having grown up in a home in which Mediterranean Food Was Not A Diet, but rather a way of dining on the freshest of ingredients, I knew I would start there.
Sure, any number of simple salads came to mind, perhaps even a grilled peach salad with a homemade peach salad dressing would be great.
After all, I do have several fabulous balsamic vinaigrette recipes made with fresh fruit, strawberry and one with fresh figs, so why not peaches!
I tweaked this idea, using Mediterranean flavors, and this delicious, beautiful recipe was created:
- Grilled Peaches over…
- Homemade Pecan Yeast Bread…
- With a schmear of goat cheese…
- A drizzle of honey and balsamic…
- Garden fresh basil and…
- Edible flowers!
The Delicious Flavors Of The Summer Months
What would my summer kitchen be, without an ice cream maker or popsicle mold?
I shudder to think!
A frozen dessert is a wonderful way to showcase the best flavor of many fruits of the summer months.
Of course, we do have to eat more than just dessert, which is why I love to incorporate fruits, both fresh and dried, into a savory recipe.
These are just a few of my favorite ways to lavish, in the summer flavors of both my own gardens, and nearby farmers markets.
Let’s Talk About Stone Fruits
While in the summer months of Maryland, peaches, nectarines, cherries and plums are what come to mind first, when I am thinking of an easy summer appetizer or dessert, there are other stone fruits to love.
Having grown up using fresh or dried apricots, another stone fruit, in many of our Mediterranean recipes, they aren’t the first fruits that come to mind here in Maryland.
Naturally, avocados are another stone fruit, but they don’t grow in Maryland either, so I don’t think of them as seasonal.
I prefer, instead, to use avocados to assist in a recipe for something that is seasonal in my area, such as my Crab Towers, with both avocado and mango salsa stacked high with crab salad.
Mango also being another stone fruit, just not grown in Maryland.
Why A Grilled Peach?
Having mentioned ‘grilling peaches‘ several times here, let me explain why.
When a juicy fruit, such as fresh peach slices, are laid on direct heat, a grill or hot cast iron pan, the hot seer on the fruit seals in the juices.
This ‘quick seer’ creates a kind of caramelization from the natural sugars in the fruit.
A perfect way to enjoy fresh fruit in a savory recipe, don’t you think?
Mediterranean Tapas Meals – Often Known As “A Light Meal”
What is a Mediterranean Tapas Meal, you ask?
Throughout the Middle East, all around Spain, Portugal and Italy, summer nights quickly become a large spread of a variety of small plates.
This style of dining is known as Meze, Tapas or Stuzzichini.
An Italian Stuzzichini differs from a Spanish Tapas, in that everything is served on some type of bread, thus my crostini or bruschetta was beginning to take shape in my mind.
Family and friends can pick and choose what they want to put on their plate, rather than sit down to one huge meal of the same thing.
This, for me, is my favorite way to dine.
It easily becomes a useful way to prepare one ingredient, perhaps, in several different ways.
How To Make Pecan Yeast Bread For The Crostini Slices
Please don’t shy away from making a loaf of homemade bread. It is too easy not to give it a try.
Making bread is really just about combining any type of flour, with something wet and yeast to make it rise.
In this bread, I crush pecans into a flour, combine with a few other types of flour, mix with liquid and yeast and in 90-minutes, you have a unique and homemade bread for the base of a crostini or a bruschetta.
If you don’t have the time, a good bakery baguette can work to substitute in this recipe with perhaps a few sprinkles of crushed pecans on top, but do revisit the idea of making this bread.
How To Make Grilled Peach Crostini
Place the simple ingredient of a few slices of grilled peaches, over a spread of a favorite soft cheese, even a plain Greek yogurt will work, and you’ve got a fabulous Mediterranean crostini.
Since grilled peaches are the star of this crostini, why not dazzle it with seasonal herbs, such as basil or fresh mint.
Once the peach halves have been grilled, should you have more than you need, simply store the grilled halves in an airtight container for another use.
Perhaps for breakfast you could slice them over a favorite yogurt with a handful of Homemade Granola.
Or simply mix them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of maple syrup!
Equipment Needed
- Stovetop griddle or grill
- Cutting board and sharp knife
- Baking sheet pan and parchment paper – for baking the bread
- Large bowl – for mixing bread dough
- Measuring cup and spoons
- Small bowl – for mixing honey and balsamic
- Fork – to drizzle honey
Ingredients Needed
- Yeast
- Sugar
- Water
- Milk
- Olive oil
- Pecan flour – simply grind whole pecans into a flour
- Millet flour – or another rustic flour of your choice such as buckwheat
- Spelt flour – or whole wheat flour
- All purpose flour
- Salt
- Egg
- Peaches
- Butter
- Creamy goat cheese or other soft cheeses *see notes
- Honey
- Balsamic vinegar
- Fresh basil
- Edible flowers – for garnish
Grilled Peach Pecan Crostini With Honey
Equipment
- Stovetop griddle or grill
- Sheet pan
Ingredients
- 2 tsp Yeast
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1 1/2 cups Milk
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 1 cup Pecan flour crushed pecans
- 1 cup Millet flour or buckwheat flour
- 1 cup Spelt flour or whole wheat
- 1 cup All purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Salt
- Egg wash 1 egg with 1 tsp water
- 4-5 Fresh juicy peaches 1/2 inch slices
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 2 oz Creamy goat cheese, softened *see notes
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup Fresh Basil chiffonade chopped
- 8 Edible flowers small
Instructions
- Bread – In a large bowl place the yeast, sugar and water and allow to sit for 5 minutes to dissolve and start to foam.
- Whisk in the milk, oil and salt. Slowly whisk in the pecan flour and millet flour first, then work in the spelt and all purpose flour until it is no longer sticking to your fingers. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm (not hot) place for about 1 1/2 hours.
- Heat oven to 400. Shape the dough into a log. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle the top with a little coarse salt and bake for 18-20 minutes, until firm to the touch. Cool and slice for crostini.
- ToppingPlace a grill pan or griddle over medium heat on top of the stove or grill. Brush the top of the griddle with butter. Place each slice of peaches on the hot grill or griddle for 1-2 minutes to both leave beautiful grill marks and sear its natural juices in. Remove and set aside. Mix the honey and balsamic vinegar and set aside. Chiffonade the basil leaves and set aside.
- AssembleSpread softened goat cheese on each slice of pecan bread. Lay the peaches on top, exposing the grilled cut side, about 2 slices each. Drizzle the honey infused balsamic glaze across the tops. Place the finely chopped basil across the tops and finish with an edible flower. Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Grilled Peach Pecan Crostini With Honey
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.