Grilled, Honeyed Peaches and Apricots with Shaved Grana Padano and Walnuts

{This post is written in collaboration with Grana Padano. I was supplied with Grana Padano products and compensated for my work. All opinions remain my own.}

We’ve come to that happy time of year when fruit is as ripe and flavourful as promised on the label. We’ve turned the centrepiece decoration of our kitchen into an over-piled bowl of fruit of all sorts, with as many plums, pears and nectarines as any reasonable family could ever hope to eat. It’s become unusual this summer to not see one of the kids pottering around with peach juice running down to their elbows. These opportunities are always worth playing around with. Although I’ll always be very happy with fruit straight from the bowl, it’s also fun to find new ways to take advantage of this bounty.

As you have heard by now I’m working with Grana Padano cheese to develop recipes, and this gives me a chance to combine cheese and fruit to make something a little different. The cheese I’ve used is the youngest vintage available, aged over 9 months. The milder taste of this vintage combines well with the fresh fruit, offering a gorgeous balance without overpowering it. With the added walnuts and honey, we have a dish that combines sweet and savoury to become something very delicious. This savoury dessert is simply bursting with flavours, it is also quick and, what could be better, a no-bake finish to your summer dinner.

Grana Padano is a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) product, which means it comes with guaranteed and consistent quality. It has a long history, first made over 900 years ago in northern Italy, and remains popular in Italy and elsewhere as the world’s best-selling PDO product. I’ve enjoyed playing around with the distinct flavours and textures in the different vintages, and am sure you will too!

For more information, visit Grana Padano website and UK Facebook page.

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Grilled, Honeyed Peaches and Apricots with Shaved Grana Padano and Walnuts

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4

Author: Julia Frey of Vikalinka

Ingredients

• 4 ripe peaches
• 4 ripe apricots
• 1 tsp oil
• 20-30 g of shaved Grana Padano aged over 9 months, plus extra crumbled Grana Padano for serving
• 8 walnut halves
• 1 tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Preheat the grill. Half peaches and apricots and remove stones. Lightly brush the fruit halves with oil and grill them for about 3 minutes until they are slightly caramelised and have distinct grill marks.
2. Toast walnuts on a dry pan for approximately 2-3 minutes until they are fragrant.
3. Shave Grana Padano into large flakes using either a vegetable peeler or a cheese slicer.
4. Arrange peaches and apricots on a platter, top with Grana Padano flakes and toasted walnuts and sprinkle with honey.
5. Serve immediately.