Baked Peaches Recipe

Prepare and halve peaches

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Rinse the peaches, cut in half and remove the stones. If peaches are large, halve each half again so you have 8 peach pieces.

Make Earl Grey lemon syrup

In a small saucepan combine 120 ml water and 1 tsp loose Earl Grey tea (or 2 tea bags). Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and steep for 3 minutes with the lid on. Remove from heat, strain to remove tea leaves/bags, then return 100 ml of the infused liquid to the pan. Add 3 tbs brown sugar, 1 tbs honey, 1 tbs fresh lemon juice and 1 tsp lemon zest. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves and the syrup is glossy, about 2–3 minutes. Keep warm.

Caramelize peaches

Place the halved peaches cut-side up in a shallow ovenproof dish snugly. Dot the cut sides with 2 tbs unsalted butter, then sprinkle the cut sides with an additional 1 tbs brown sugar divided evenly. Spoon a little (about 1–2 tbs) of the warm Earl Grey lemon syrup over each peach half. Roast in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the peaches are tender and the sugar is sticky and caramelized. Baste once with the syrup halfway through roasting.

Finish syrup

When peaches are done, remove them from oven and let rest for 3–5 minutes. Pour any pan juices back into the remaining warm syrup and stir to combine. Taste and add a little more honey or lemon juice if needed to balance sweetness and acidity.

While peaches roast, mix 300 g Greek yoghurt with 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tbs honey in a bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust honey for desired sweetness. Keep chilled until plating.

Make the crumb

Preheat a small skillet over medium heat (or use the oven at the same 190°C). Place 100 g digestive biscuits in a food processor and pulse to coarse crumbs (or crush in a zip bag with a rolling pin). Transfer crumbs to a bowl and stir in 50 g crushed honeycomb candy, 2 tbs melted butter, 1 tbs light brown sugar and a pinch of salt until evenly combined and slightly clumping. If using a skillet, toast the crumb mixture for 2–3 minutes stirring constantly to bring out flavor; allow to cool.

Spoon a generous dollop (about 75 g) of the sweetened Greek yoghurt into individual shallow bowls or one large serving dish for the porridge section base.

Arrange 2 peach halves (or equivalent pieces) per serving over the yoghurt, cut-side up so the caramelized surface is visible.

Drizzle 1–2 tbs of the warm Earl Grey lemon syrup over each portion, allowing some to soak into the yoghurt and some to glaze the peaches.

Scatter a tablespoon of the honeycomb crumb over each portion for crunch. If you like more texture, add extra crumb to taste.

Finish with a light drizzle of extra honey (about 1 tsp per serving) and garnish with a few micro lemon balm leaves on each portion. Serve immediately while peaches are warm and syrup still slightly runny.