One recent Saturday afternoon, under the late September sun, I set up a table outdoors and experimented with a late summer peach tiramisu. It’s a simple, delicious dessert I will certainly make again and imagine would be delicious with plums or blackberries in lieu of the peaches. There is much more to explore with this recipe, but encourage you to give it a try while the peaches linger around the market. If you can your own peaches, this is a beautiful way to enjoy canned peaches, as you can use the canning syrup to soak the lady fingers.
Peach Tiramisu
serves 6-8
3 to 4 large yellow peaches, diced (skin on)
1 cup sugar, plus 3 to 4 tablespoons
1 cup water
1 container mascarpone
2 cups heavy cream
Dash of vanilla
Dash of bourbon
In a small saucepan, combine peaches, water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, until peaches are fork tender. Remove from heat, add in a dash (or two) of bourbon and let cool.
Once peach mixture is cooled, strain peaches and transfer to a small bowl. Pour the leftover peach syrup in a medium sized shallow bowl and set aside.
In a medium bowl or stand mixer, whisk heavy cream and vanilla extract until soft peaks form, adding in a tablespoon of sugar at a time to your sweetness liking (I add 4 tablespoons). Once you have soft peaks, add in a spoonful of mascarpone at a time until fully combined. If you’d like, you can fold in the zest of one lemon for a little added brightness.
Set up an assembly station with all your ingredients lined up — peaches, peach syrup, whipped mascarpone cream, ladyfingers and serving dish.
Dip lady fingers (2-3 at a time) in peach syrup for a few seconds on each side. Place dipped lady fingers on the bottle of the serving bowl, creating your first layer. Top with a layer of whipped mascarpone cream, followed by a layer of the cooked peaches. Repeat layers until the bowl is filled, this should make about 3 layers.
Cover your peach tiramisu and set in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator and enjoy immediately. You can top with a few pieces of the cooked peaches, edible flowers or berries.