Vanilla Spice Rubbed Grilled Peaches With Fresh Goat Cheese Recipes

SPICE RUBBED GRILLED DUCK BREAST WITH GRILLED PEACH AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium. Put orange juice in a medium saucepan and cook until reduced by half. Add the blackberries and cook for 2 minutes. Strain the mixture into a bowl. Place the blackberries in another bowl and set aside.
• Mix together all the spices and rub the skin side of the duck with some of the rub. Season breasts with salt and drizzle with oil. Grill, rub side down until a crust forms, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the breasts over and continue cooking to medium doneness, brushing with some of the orange-blackberry glaze every minute or so. Transfer to a large platter.
• Brush the cut side of the peaches with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the peaches, cut side down until slightly charred about 2 minutes. Turn over and grill for another minute. Arrange cut side up around the duck, or on another platter. Spoon some goat cheese into the peach hollows, scatter the arugula and pecans over, and then some of the cooked blackberries. Serve the remaining berries with the duck and peaches, if desired.

VANILLA SPICE-RUBBED GRILLED PEACHES WITH FRESH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium direct heat.
• For the rub, put the sugar in a small bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the sugar using the tip of a sharp paring knife (tuck the bean into a bowl of sugar for vanilla sugar).
• Mix the vanilla seeds with the sugar, using the tips of your fingers to break up clumps. Stir in the pepper and cinnamon.
• Cut the peaches in half; remove the pits. Brush the cut sides lightly with oil; sprinkle generously with the spice rub (you will not use all the spice rub -- reserve the remaining for another use).
• Place the peaches, cut sides up, on a lightly oiled grill; grill until the peaches are starting to soften and the skin side is marked by the grill, about 3 minutes.
• Turn; grill until the sugar is nicely golden and caramelized, about 2 minutes (move to a cooler part of the grill if they are browning too quickly).
• Turn the peaches cut-side up again; place 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese in the center of each.
• Grill peaches until goat cheese is warmed and just beginning to melt, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter.
• Sprinkle the goat cheese with a little more of the spice rub.
• Serve hot.

GRILLED PEACHES

Steps:

• Right before cooking, slice the peaches along the seam and pit them. Coat them in oil for cooking, being sure to give them a thick, even coating. I prefer to toss them in a gallon size Ziplock bag along with the oil and gently rub the oil into the peach. This reduces mess, which is critical when you might be in the backyard, far from access to a sink. Don't use extra virgin olive oil, as the smoke point is lower and may cause the peaches to taste burnt and smoky. Grill the peaches skin side up for 5-6 minutes. When they begin to sizzle and shine, turn them over onto their skin and cook for another 6-7 minutes, or until they soften and lose a little bit of their shape. Serve immediately, with or without a garnish of whipped cream or ice cream. If you don't have room to eat all the peaches you've grilled, they can be reheated in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and they still taste great the second time around.