Recipe of the week: Burnt peaches with Comté, prosciutto and hazelnuts
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This is a simple dish that really relies on the quality of the ingredients used.
A beautiful dish combining the tangy sweetness of peaches with the nutty flavour of the Comté and toasted hazelnuts.
Ingredients (serves four)
50g hazelnuts, skinned/blanched
4 ripe peaches, cut in half and pits removed (You want ripe, but firm fruit – softer fruit releases more juices and risks sticking to the pan.)
2 tablespoons light olive oil
100g younger aged Comté, cut into fine slivers (a vegetable peeler works well)
8 slices prosciutto
1 lemon (zest and juice)
1 tablespoon good quality hazelnut oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar (or a similar vinegar – you want tart and sweet flavours and a syrupy consistency)
Leaves from 10g fresh mint
Method
Preheat your oven to 180C and spread your hazelnuts out on a baking tray. Cook these in the oven for about 10 minutes, giving the tray a shake halfway through, until they have turned a light golden brown and smell toasty. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a bit, then chop roughly.
Heat a griddle pan until it is very hot. Brush the peaches lightly with the oil, then place, cut-side down, onto the pan and do not move them for two to three minutes, until they are ready to release from the pan. Do this using a flexible spatula and gently prod the peaches. If they move, carefully turn them over to cook the other side. Once both sides of the peaches are nicely charred, move them onto individual serving plates or onto a big platter and sprinkle over a little salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
To serve, arrange the slices of prosciutto around and over the peaches, then the slivers of Comté, drizzle over the hazelnut oil or extra virgin olive oil, squeeze over a little lemon juice, drizzle over a little vinegar (if using) and finally sprinkle over the grated lemon zest, chopped hazelnuts and mint leaves.
