Peach & Cherry Delight With Lavender Mascarpone Cream

Looking for a great way to use up all that leftover fruit in your fruit basket without spending a whole lot of time and money? Just cut up the fruits and serve them with some plain whipped cream. Yes, that works, but is boring, and definitely not upto a chef’s mark:) So here’s a better idea to pump things up a bit. Thanks to ProFlowers, who sent me a delicious Gift Basket last week, I had a stock full of fruits to dish out something tasty. It came with an array of fruits, some Ghiradelli chocolate, homemade jam and some other exotic fruit samples. I took the basic fruit and cream concept, employed some cooking techniques, and added a bunch of exotic ingredients to turn the ordinary dessert into something exquisite, that you and your friends would love to dig into!

What you see here is a bowl of Sauteed Peaches and Cherries, drizzled with Orange sauce and served with some Lavender-infused whipped cream that is blended with some creamy Mascarpone cheese to create an elegant dessert that is worthy to be served at your next party! The description says it all, but nonetheless, here’s the recipe on how to pull this one off the shelf!

Sauteed Peaches & Cherries Served with Lavender Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Ingredients
Makes 2 servings

1 large Peach – sliced
6-8 ripe cherries – halved, pit removed
2 tbsp whipped cream
2 tbsp sweet mascarpone cheese
1/4 tsp lavender essence
1 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp orange juice + 2 tbsp water

Method
Take a wide sauce pan and put on low heat. Add the orange juice and brown sugar along with 2 tbsp water and allow to boil till it forms a thick juicy syrup. Now put the sliced peaches, cut side down onto the syrup and allow them to saute gently for about 5 minutes. Turn them over when they become light golden orange in color. Repeat the same with the halved cherries. Sprinkle some fresh Rosemary leaves and allow the flavors to settle into the fruits. Turn off the flame, remove the pan from the stove and set aside for 5 minutes.

To make the Whipped Cream topping, combine the whipped cream with the sweet mascarpone cheese and whip well with hand. Add the lavender essence and whip again to form soft peaks.

In a dessert bowl, arrange a layer of sauteed peaches on the rim. Add a generous dollop of whipped cream topping in the middle, and top this with the sauteed cherries. Refrigerate the assembled bowls until ready to serve.

I like the combination of warm fruits with cold cream topping, so I usually enjoy my dessert as soon as its done. But if you want to go the traditional way, you can use the refrigeration method stated above. But don’t leave the fruits open in the fridge for a long time as they would wilt and lose their moisture content. It is best to assemble the dessert 5 minutes before you want to serve these babies!

Enjoy an invigorating flavor of fresh fruit mingled with citrusy orange and the fragrance of lavender for a truly flavorful treat! Thanks Proflowers, for being the energy behind this inspiration:) If you are looking for gift baskets to send for any occasions, hop on to their site for some delicious deals!

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