Peaches with Ricotta and Amaretto Cream, Two Ways

If you're like me, you love the idea of dessert and like to finish a meal with something sweet. But faced with the reality of shoving heavy, starchy, too-sweet cake or pie or chocolate in your mouth after a big dinner, you usually take a pass. So here are two variations on a light, refreshing fruit dessert that makes the most of those gorgeous end of summer peaches and won't weigh you down.

These recipes, one raw, the other, broiled, were inspired by a classic Italian dessert called Pesche Ripiene con Amaretti, or Peaches Stuffed with Amaretti Cookies.

 It calls for poaching skinned peach halves in a white wine and sugar syrup, then filling them with a mixture of crushed amaretti (crisp cookies made of sugar, almonds or apricot kernels, and egg whites), whipped cream, and raw egg yolk. While tasty, the mushy brown stuffing does not make the prettiest dessert. And there's another issue: Peaches, like all fruit, change texture when cooked, and the flavor loses brightness. While I'm not knocking the utter deliciousness of a gorgeous peach cobbler or jam, I do feel that a perfect peach is best when left as unadulterated as possible, to preserve its juicy sweetness and intensely peachy flavor.

Both recipes draws from their Italian origin by using sweetened ricotta cheese - the same cheese used to stuff cannolis as well as savory dishes like lasagna. Amaretto liqueur adds richness, and cinnamon, a classic with peaches, lends a spicy earthiness. The only difference between them is that the raw version is light and fragrant, the broiled version is warm and comforting.

For each whole peach, serving 2 as a light dessert, you will need:

• 1 large, whole peach, cut in half and pit removed. Most peaches these days are not particularly fuzzy or thick skinned, and as I'm not bothered by the skin, I leave it on for color, and to allow me to eat my dessert with my hands without a mess. If you do wish to remove the skins, bring a pot of water to a boil and scald the whole peaches for 1/2 to 1 minute, just enough to loosen the skins without cooking the flesh. Immediately rinse in cold water, cut in half, and skin.
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, whole milk and low fat are both fine
• 1 teaspoon sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon Disaronno Amaretto or other almond or bitter almond liqueur
• Pinch of ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

Raw Version:

In a bowl, mix the ricotta, sugar, liqueur, and pinch of cinnamon until smooth. Arrange the peach halves on a serving plate, cut side up. (To keep them from rolling around on the plate, trim a small slice off the skin side so they have a flat plane to rest on.)

Divide the ricotta mixture between the two peach halves, spooning the cream into the indentation left by the pit. If you want a more decorative presentation, use a large star pastry tip from a kitchen supply store. Cut a small corner out of a sturdy plastic sandwich bag, and fit the tip into the corner, making sure that the hole is smaller than the circumference of the pastry tip. Fold back the top of the bag, to prevent mess, and spoon the cream directly over the tip. Fold the sides of the bag back up, and squeeze the bag like a tube of toothpaste, from the top of the bag down. Start in the center of the peach half and, squeezing gently, fill the pit indentation with a circular motion.

Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and sugar, or crushed amaretti cookies or gingersnaps. Serve immediately.

Broiled Version:

Preheat your oven's broiler. In a bowl, mix the ricotta, sugar, liqueur, and pinch of cinnamon until smooth. Arrange the peach halves on a cookie sheet, metal pie plate, or other broiler safe pan, cut side up. (To keep them from rolling around on the pan, trim a small slice off the skin side so they have a flat plane to rest on.)

Divide the ricotta mixture between the two peach halves, spooning the cream into the indentation left by the pit. (There is no need to use the pastry tip here, as the ricotta will melt and flatten under the broiler.) Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Put under the broiler for 3-7 minutes.  Cooking time will depend on your broiler, whether it's gas or electric, and how close the peaches are to the element or flame. The closer they are to the heat, the faster the cream will caramelize and the less cooked your peaches will be. Watch closely, and remove immediately when the cream is melted and caramelized to a light golden brown, but not burnt. Lightly dust with cinnamon and sugar. Serve warm.

Note: Also try with apricots, cherries (use cherry brandy), or Italian plums, also called "prunes," those small, dark purple plums that are easy to pit. Other varieties of plums may have pits that are too difficult to remove.