The original recipe for the Roasted Peaches with Amaretti Crisp came from “Bon Appetit” and, of course, I had to dink with it a bit. This topping is so versatile it can be used over other fruit, ice cream or anywhere you want a bit of sweet crunch.
The cookies are readily available in Italian stores (think The Hill in St. Louis) and are great on there own. Low in calories too! If you are a purist, see my recipe for Amaretti Cookies.
Peeling the peaches for the Roasted Peaches with Amaretti Crisp can be a chore, but if the peaches are ripe, as they should be, the simple trick of popping them into boiling water for a couple of minutes, makes removing the skins a snap. Cut an X in the bottom of the peach skin before dunking it. Leave it in until you can feel the skins loose. Run it under cold water as soon as it is done and just slip the skin off.
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Roasted Peaches with Amaretti Crisp
6 to 7 amaretti cookies (1 ounce or 30 grams)
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped or slivered almonds (1 ounce or 30 grams )
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar (1.33 ounce or 35 grams)
2 tablespoons flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, unsalted preferably, cold and cut into ½ inch pieces
Up to 4 ripe peaches
Vanilla Ice Cream
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil, spray and set aside.
Place all but the butter in a processor bowl.
Process until large crumbs form.
Cut the butter into several pieces and add to the bowl.
Pulse to make crumbs. Set aside.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, cut an X in the bottom of each peach skin and boil the peaches for 2 to 3 minutes until you can see the skin loosening. 
A quick touch will tell you the skin is ready to come off. Run under cold water. Slip the skin off. 
Cut each peach in half along its dividing line. 
Pull apart and remove the pit.
Place the peach halves, cut side up, on the tray. Fill the cavity with 2 heaping tablespoons of the amaretti crisp. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, depending upon the size of the peach. They should be soft when tested with a cake tester or toothpick but not mushy. They should hold their shape.
Serve warm with ice cream.
Note: If you have leftover crisp, store it in the refrigerator for another time.
Rockyrd says
Thanks for reminding me about these. I love the idea of using the amaretti crumbs in recipes.
I love making amaretti too, but almond paste has gotten so expensive that I may try making my own. Any hints on that? I know its not the same but the cookies are not available where I live in the summer. Almond paste was about $7 for a small can. I must be showing my age because I remember them being under $3. That must have been in the "old" days when I walked a mile in the snow to go to school!
I bought some terrific peaches this week to slice up for a tart. They were not cling free. So halving them for a recipe like this would have been impossible. The slices were ugly but I covered the top of the tart with crumbs to hide them. I always thought that regular and cling free fruit were just different fruit but a baker/gardener friend told me that they become cling free and release from the fruit as the season gets later. Did you ever hear of that?
Thanks again - look so forward to reading your site. Super great photos too.
hfletcher says
Hi There - happy to hear from you again. I agree the price of almond paste has gone through the roof. I'm going to pick up some almonds and try a batch of the homemade version. Will let you know how it comes out.
As to the peaches, your friend is incorrect. There are two types of peaches, clingstone (the stone clings to the peach and is difficult to remove - like the ones you have) or freestone (the stone falls out). Red Haven, one of my favorites is a freestone or cling free. It is also one of the earliest of the peach crops.
Hope you are enjoying your kitchen.