Baked Stuffed Peaches with Amaretti and Cocoa

La storia di questo piatto

Born in the sun-drenched kitchens of Piedmont, this dish carries the soul of an Italian summer afternoon — where peach orchards meet the bitter elegance of amaretti, a marriage older than memory itself.

Ingredienti

• 4 pieces Ripe peaches
• 100 g Dry amaretti biscuits
• 15 g Cocoa powder
• 40 g Softened butter
• 30 g Caster sugar
• 1 piece Egg yolk
• 100 ml Dry white wine
• 20 g Honey
• 30 g Pine nuts

Preparazione

1. Rinse the peaches thoroughly under cool running water, then place each one on a cutting board and gently halve them by following the natural seam of the fruit — the stone will come away easily on its own. Using a teaspoon, gently widen the cavity where the pit was, creating a welcoming pocket for the filling: don't scoop too deep, just a gentle gesture to make space.
2. Break the amaretti into small pieces and chop them finely — you can use a knife or even crush them inside a clean cloth if you're not in a hurry. In a bowl combine the soft butter (not cold, or it will be difficult to mix), sugar, cocoa and egg yolk: stir patiently until the mixture becomes creamy and smooth, without lumps. Add the pine nuts, which will give crunch and delicate fragrance: blend everything with love until it becomes a dense, moist cream.
3. Prepare a baking dish (ceramic or glass works well) and lightly brush the inside with butter using your fingertips, so nothing sticks. Take each peach half and fill it generously with the amaretti mixture, creating a small mound in the centre: don't be shy, the filling is the most delicious part. Arrange the peaches in the baking dish with the filling side facing up, nestled comfortably together like a cosy brood.
4. Pour the white wine around the peaches (not on the filling, around it) — you'll immediately smell the fragrance rising from the dish. Then drizzle honey over each filling, straight from the spoon, and watch it glide sweetly onto the flesh. Bake at 180°C: when you smell caramelised fruit and the filling begins to brown slightly at the edges, they're almost ready.
5. Remove the baking dish from the oven carefully and let the peaches rest for a few minutes: this allows the heat to settle and the flavours to marry. Serve them still warm or at room temperature, generous with that golden sauce left at the bottom — it's the nectar of the peaches, the treasure that whispers of summer and love.