Stovetop Peaches and Ice Cream

Fresh peaches cooked and served over ice cream

Juicy ripe peaches in the summer are a joyous occasion. Their sweet, delicate fragrance alone is enough to carry you adrift over the world in a Chagall-like dream. But there's one thing that's even better than fresh, delicious peaches in the summer and that's fresh delicious peaches with ice cream!

This is a ridiculously simple recipe that I picked up from Bloomberg Businessweek--of all places! Peel and dice 4-6 gorgeous peaches, place them in a skillet, sprinkle in a little bit of sugar, and heat until hot and bubbly. Serve over ice cream and prepare to make Bill Cosby pudding faces. My ice cream of choice is Blue Marble vanilla which is as bright white and creamy as soft serve. To borrow from Woody Allen, I don't love it, I lurv it.

Bloomberg Businessweek suggests that managers make this for their employees instead of the standard make-your-own-sundaes sprinkled with M&Ms. While I do love the recipe, I have to say, I couldn't possibly envision any manager I've ever worked for cooking peaches for anyone in the office. Also, I don't think many offices have stoves. Microwaves, yes, stoves, not so much.

I made this dessert a couple of times over the summer, including once for myself during Hurricane Irene. Like many New Yorkers, I stocked up on nachos and chips and water and braced myself for an indoor cataract to emerge from the ceiling. Fortunately, that didn't happen. So it was in a relaxed state of mind that I was able to sit down to a bowl of warm peaches and Blue Marble ice cream while watching The Conspirator. Great movie. Boy, can Robert Redford tell a story...