Caramelized Peaches - 5 Ingredient Masterpiece

These caramelized peaches were a happy accident.  Intending to "poach" the fresh peaches, I placed them cut side down in a large saute pan in a syrup made of equal parts sugar and water, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and an inch of vanilla bean.  I put the burner on medium and...answered the phone? Checked the computer?  

Do not follow my example, it was a close call and I almost burned up the pan as well as the peaches.  But I arrived at the magic moment when the peaches had caramelized and the remaining liquid had reduced to a glossy peach-infused syrup.  You can make this incredible (and easy!) dessert too, just please stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on things.

The peaches I bought were large and still quite hard.  The good news is that all of that hardness disappears when you cook them.  If you don't have an inch of vanilla bean to spare, just splash in a touch of vanilla just before you take it off the heat.

I served each peach half with a small scoop of my favorite "ice cream."  Edy's Slow Churned Yogurt Blends in Vanilla.  It is creamy, contains the beneficial live active cultures of yogurt and counts as a good source of calcium.  What more could a girl want?

*I'm reposting this entry to inspire you to buy peaches at the farm stand! This is my favorite way to prepare them and I haven't had a chance to take another picture! Enjoy!