Peaches with Ceylon Cinnamon and Rum Reduction and Vanilla Cream

Kindi Lantz August 08, 2019

Fresh Summer Peaches & Vanilla Cream with Cinnamon Rum Drizzle

Peaches and cream—it’s a simple dessert that brings about so much nostalgia for me (and for many, I suppose). With effortless preparation and the fantastic combination of sweet, tart, and savory, it’s a wonder as to why it doesn’t replace cakes, cookies, and pies more often.

Seriously, is there anything more decadent than perfectly ripened peaches? Alright, this question is a bit rhetorical because, although peaches are beyond incredible on their own, at some point, someone decided to pour sweet cream over them and make them even more divine.

That’s not to say this dessert has reached perfection. Just as with anything in life, there is always room for improvement. So how can we improve this dish, while still keeping it relatively simple and ensuring it is just as (if not more) delicious than the original? 

I let this question occupy my mind for days and finally realized that the only way to create an acceptable variation of peaches and cream is to enhance it with other delightfully simplistic flavors—I chose gourmet vanilla beans, Ceylon cinnamon, and dark rum. 

This is such an easy dessert, the cinnamon and dark rum reduction is mostly hands-off and the vanilla cream is little more than a quick infusion that has been further sweetened by a bit of maple. Beyond that, all you have to do is slice the peaches and enjoy!

The result was incredible! 

Peaches and Cream with Vanilla Bean and Rum Reduction 

Ingredients:

• 3 fresh peaches
• 1 Ceylon cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
• 1 cup dark rum 
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
• 1 grade A vanilla bean
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream 
• Fresh nutmeg

Procedure: 

1. Place the rum, cinnamon stick, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup together in a small saucepan and cook on medium-low for 30 minutes or until reduced by half, stirring often. 
2. Mix together the seeds from the vanilla bean, maple syrup, and cream together and simmer in a saucepan for 15 minutes.
3. Slice the peaches and place them in a bowl for serving, pour the cream over top.
4. Drizzle the warm rum mixture over the peaches and cream.
5. Top with a sprinkle of fresh, ground nutmeg!

Serving Suggestions: 

As with anything, peaches are best when they are fresh! That means, this dish will be most optimal served in the summer. Serve in small bowls or even a martini glass following some of your favorite barbecued foods! It’s a great way to simultaneously indulge and freshen up the palate after a large plate of wings or ribs without going overboard with pies, cookies, or cakes. 

Should you decide to go the barbecue route, take advantage of the hot grill and throw your peaches on for a minute or two to get those rustic grill marks and a deep caramelized flavor. 

For this recipe, I used Ceylon Cinnamon Quills from Sri Lanka, which is much a much more subtle and less intrusive than the more common, Cassia variety.