Frutta Al Forno Con Amaretti

During our last visit to Italy we stopped at a small trattoria in Milan, and after a lovely dinner al forno (outside), I ordered a rather simple dessert that has captivated me ever since. It is a frill-less sweet that disappears faster than you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Frutta Al Forno Con Amaretti (Baked Fruit)

Baked Peaches with Amaretto Cookies

Ingredients

7 peaches, 6 halved and one set aside
10 Amaretti cookies
1/3 cup sugar
1 TBS brown sugar
1 Egg yolk
cinnamon, dash
whip cream (optional)
vanilla ice cream (optional)
Amaretto liqueur (optional)

Directions

Halve and pit six peaches, leaving one peach set aside. Place peach halves, cut side up, in a 9×13 buttered baking dish. (If you like a bit more filling in your peach, I recommend scooping out a bit extra peach flesh in the hallow of the halved fruit.)

Grind cookies in a food processor, and transfer crumbs into a small bowl.

Peel and pit the remaining peach, and place in food processor blending until it becomes a smooth puree. Transfer puree to a medium bowl, and fold in sugar, brown sugar, egg yolk, and cookie crumbs.

Stuff each peach hollow with cookie mixture.

Bake in preheated 350 oven for 50 minutes, or until peaches are soft but still hold their shape. Serve warm with sweetened whipped cream, flavored with a bit of Amaretto liqueur if desired.

Note: This recipe can also be done with pears, apricots, nectarines or apples.