Amber Comments: A couple of weeks ago we posted a recipe for April’s Nectarine and bacon pizza. It was one of the biggest hits that she has posted so far. People as far as England made this recipe and sent us photos of the yummy results. Thank you to our loyal readers. We love hearing that you make and love what we do! This week’s recipe Peach and Bacon Appetizer is a total crowd pleaser.

Near our home are peach orchards, and you can literally smell the fruit in the air when you pull in. There are so many dishes you can make with peaches, I could write a blog post a week for months on end to cover them all…but most are things you have probably already enjoyed. So today, I am going to share with you something super amazing that you will love! I wish I could say this was an original idea, but it is not. I had something similar somewhere…so I just threw this grilled peach appetizer together myself from the flavors that are seared into my memory.

Amber comments: I love fresh peaches. My favorites though are the white flesh variety. They are ultra sweet and juicy, and I have to admit, I get excited when they come into season. If you aren’t lucky enough to live right next to farm shops or orchards like April and I do, Costco carries a beautiful selection.


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You are going to need:2 large, ripe (but not soft )freestone peaches. (This will make 16 portions.)

1/2  package of sliced bacon. (I used smoked bacon)

fresh basil leaves (16 large or 32 small)

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 TBSP brown sugar

toothpicks (32 of them)

The first thing you are going to do is assemble your ingredients. You are going to want to grill these just before serving them, so it’s ok to assemble them and then cover with plastic wrap and chill until the time comes to grill and serve.

If you don’t have a basil plant in your garden or flower bed, buy some fresh at a farmers market or in the produce section. I didn’t like the way the basil looked at the market, so I just purchased a plant of it! They actually had these plants in the floral department of my supermarket! We have had a severe heat wave, so my own basil plants are looking a little sad. After I trimmed off the number of leaves I wanted, I simply planted it. Seriously, it was cheaper than buying cut basil at the market, and I ended up with a leftover basil plant for the flower bed! Win-win for me!

Cut your bacon package in half, and have your bacon slices ready to go! You will use one-half slice per slice of peach. One standard package of bacon will do 4 peaches.

Wash your peaches and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut in half and remove the stone. Then cut each half in half again, making quarters. Cut each of these in half again–ending up with 8 slices of peach. Do not peel them!

If your basil leave are large, place one large leave over the cut edges of your peach slice. If they are small, use a small leaf on each cut side of the peach slice.

Place one-half slice of raw bacon on the cut side of a basil wrapped peach slice and secure with a toothpick. Wrap around the slice and secure on the opposite side. Be sure and place your toothpicks so they sort of “lie down” rather than sticking them straight in. You are going to grill them, so you don’t want the toothpicks preventing you from placing the bacon on the grill.

Once you have them all prepared, heat up your grill to medium heat and place all the slices on the grill. There is no need to grease the grill, as the bacon will do that for you. When the bacon is browned to your liking, turn the peach slice over and repeat. The next turn of the peach slice will be the side that has the skin, so you will grill all three sides! This will take 20-25 minutes.

While the peaches are grilling, you are going to make your balsamic reduction. I have mentioned Lucero oils and vinegar in previous posts, and for this recipe, I chose their wonderful Fig Balsamic Vinegar. It has a slightly sweeter taste than a regular balsamic, which was delicious with the salty hickory smoke of the bacon. Mix the balsamic vinegar and the brown sugar together in a small pan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Turn the heat to low and allow to simmer, while continuing to stir often. Reduce to half. Don’t get it too thick, because when it cools, you won’t be able to drizzle it over the peaches. Once it has reduced, remove from the heat and set aside.

Remove the peach slices from the grill (you can grab them by the toothpicks) and place on a pretty plate. Gently remove the toothpicks. Drizzle the grilled peaches with your balsamic reduction and serve! Use a small spoon to drizzle, so you don’t get big “globs” of reduction on your beautifully grilled peaches.

You can serve these as an appetizer, or as a compliment to your meat dish. We served ours with grilled chicken, and they disappeared! I caught one of our guests actually scooping up the leftover drizzle from the serving dish with a finger when they thought I wasn’t looking!

Peaches are gorgeous right now, and it’s the perfect time of year to try this fabulous recipe! I hope you enjoy it!

Amber Comments: For this week’s pairing I am doing something a little different. I am not posting a wine that is widely available. Instead, I am going to encourage you to visit Napa Valley and Clif Family Wines. Can’t visit in person?  You can order online from their website. Their 2017 Rosé of Grenache ($26) would pair beautifully with this dish. 

Have a fabulous week! ~Ms. April

4 Comments

  1. peaches wrapped in basil and bacon looks amazing, but here in England peaches are not as ripe and succulent as you have in the us!

    • California Girl Reply

      Debbie, There is a trick to ripening peaches. Put them in a paper bag for 24 hours. Remember you are grilling them, so they dont need to be soft ready to eat. They need a little firmness to them to slice them and hold their shape. Yes, we are really fortunate to live where fruit grows. 🙂

  2. Pingback: Recipe of the week - Bacon and Nectarine Pizza - April - Wine Travel Eats

  3. Love this Amber! The basil and balsamic add that absolute “I can’t resist!” factor. While I can’t get the Clif Rosé here in Bordeaux, there are lots of other obscure rosé. And peaches are in their prime. Thanks for a fab recipe!

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