Roasted Stuffed Donut Peaches with Almond-Cacao Crumble and Whipped Vanilla Ricotta
Sweet, juicy donut peaches filled with a crumbly almond, cacao, and honey stuffing, roasted until tender and caramelized, then served warm with a cloud of whipped vanilla ricotta, a drizzle of honey, and toasted almonds.
Yield: Serves 6 (12 halves) · Active: 20 min · Total: 50 min · Best in North America in July and August, at the height of donut peach season · Best eaten: midday or early afternoon
Ingredients
Peaches
6 ripe but firm donut peaches
1 tbsp grass-fed butter, melted
Almond-cacao stuffing
½ cup almond flour
¼ cup almonds, finely chopped
1 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 pasture-raised egg yolk
1 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp grass-fed butter, softened
½ tsp pure almond extract (for that classic amaretti flavor)
Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt
The chopped peach flesh scooped from the centers
Whipped vanilla ricotta
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
1 tbsp raw honey
Seeds of ½ vanilla bean (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
Zest of ½ lemon
To finish: a drizzle of raw honey, toasted sliced almonds, and fresh mint or basil leaves
Method
Prep the peaches. Heat the oven to 375°F. Halve each donut peach through its "equator," around the middle, and pop out the small pit. Use a small spoon to scoop out a little extra flesh from each center to make a cup, and finely chop the scooped flesh.
Make the stuffing. Mix the almond flour, chopped almonds, cacao, egg yolk, honey, butter, almond extract, salt, and chopped peach flesh into a crumbly, moist paste.
Stuff. Set the peach halves cut-side up in a buttered baking dish and brush them with melted butter. Mound a heaping spoonful of stuffing into each one.
Roast 25–30 minutes, until the peaches are tender and juicy and the filling is golden and set.
Whip the ricotta. Whip the ricotta, honey, vanilla, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Serve. Spoon whipped ricotta onto plates, set two warm peach halves on top, spoon over any pan juices, and finish with a drizzle of honey, toasted almonds, and fresh mint or basil.
Storage: Refrigerated up to 3 days. Rewarm at 325°F for 10 minutes, or enjoy them cold with yogurt for breakfast.
A note on honey: The honey in the whipped ricotta and the drizzle stays raw; the honey in the stuffing is baked, so any good local honey works there. Raw honey shouldn't be given to babies under 12 months.
More Ways to Enjoy Donut Peaches
Just as they are: they're the perfect handheld snack, and the small pit is easy to eat around.
Burrata salad: sliced donut peaches, burrata, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil and aged balsamic.
Grilled: halved, brushed with butter, and grilled 2–3 minutes, then topped with yogurt, honey, and pistachios.
On breakfast: sliced over a chia parfait or yogurt with your homemade granola.
Frozen: sliced and frozen for summer smoothies and kefir shakes.
Nourishment Notes
Donut peaches — vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium, and fiber, plus polyphenols concentrated in the skin.
Almonds and almond flour — vitamin E, magnesium, and monounsaturated fats.
Raw cacao — magnesium, iron, and flavanols.
Pasture-raised egg yolk — choline, lutein, and vitamins A, D, E, and K2.
Ricotta — whey protein and calcium.
Grass-fed butter — vitamins A and K2.
Raw honey — enzymes and trace minerals, kept intact in the whipped ricotta and drizzle.
As a circadian treat, these peaches land best at midday or in the early afternoon, when your body handles sweets most gracefully in daylight.
Sourcing
Donut peaches — organic and locally grown, from a farmers' market in season (conventional peaches carry some of the highest pesticide residues of any fruit)
Almond flour and almonds — organic and fresh (keep them in the fridge); unpasteurized Spanish almonds, like Terrasoul's
Raw cacao powder — organic, and ideally tested for heavy metals
Eggs — organic and pasture-raised
Ricotta — whole-milk ricotta from grass-fed cows, with no gums or stabilizers, such as Bellwether Farms Whole Milk Ricotta, or homemade
Grass-fed butter — organic, cultured butter from 100% grass-fed cows
Raw honey or maple syrup — organic, local, and unfiltered raw honey; organic Grade A dark maple syrup
Almond extract — organic pure almond extract
Vanilla — organic vanilla beans or pure vanilla extract
Lemons, mint, and basil — organic
Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall