Rosy poached white peach in vanilla syrup

Pink and rosy, these peaches are sweet cheeks of summer fruit, which make a gorgeous treat especially when poached in perfumed vanilla syrup. I served mine with some organic sheep's milk yogurt and honey although it's equally scrumptious on top of muesli for a sumptuous breakfast. The romantic colours of the syrup and fruit lends itself to the perfect date night treat, and I may be hinting at a Valentine's Day dessert contender.

This dish is simple to make and takes very little time - and what is even better, it doesn't require perfectly ripened fruit as we all know that the search for soft juicy peaches can be a little tricky even in the ideal months for choosing. The harder the fruit, the longer you will need to simmer the flesh to soften and swell. The peaches I used were a little soft and only took a few minutes on both sides (you delicately spin the fruit over while cooking).

Rosy Poached White Peach in Vanilla syrup

Less than 100 calories per serve :)

Ingredients:
2 white peaches
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of sugar (or 3 tablespoons of sweetener - I use Natvia)
1/2 a vanilla bean with seeds scraped out or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
optional: a generous splash of sweet wine (I used pinot grigio for France, which is very fruity)

Directions:

Halve the peaches, twisting around the stone to release the fruit. If done easily, pull out the stone. If the fruit is quite hard, leave the stone in while cooking and remove later when the fruit is soft. Simmer the water, sugar, vanilla and wine until all sugar is dissolved and the syrup is mildly bubbling. Gently place in the fruit, skin side up. Poach for a few minutes then delicately turn over to the flesh side. Simmer for a few more minutes, until the peach is soft.

Remove the fruit and continue to simmer the syrup for 30 minutes or so until it thickens. You may like to transfer this to a saucepan and reduce the liquid to simmer down to a much richer syrup. I prefer to have more of the gorgeous pink juice as it can be used for so many other recipes. It's too beautiful to waste!

Serve with yogurt or ice cream, drizzled with a little vanilla honey. Bliss.