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God vs God

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Imperfect vs Perfect

I burned them a bit, because we have a very temperamental oven (Black Friday, anyone?), but this North Italy staple is such a simple, satisfying solution for all those lazy week-end afternoons. This recipe was shared by my good friend L, who hails from beautiful Valle d'Aosta and is nowadays one of the world's leading experts in Pico della Mirandola's philosophical system. We met in Paris many moons ago and her wit never disappoints. This is her mom's go to recipe and frankly, my dear: who am I to discuss an Italian mamma's success?

We had three big peaches, forlorn and lingering in the fridge. The good thing about this recipe is that you can use even very ripe ones: I promise it won't make any difference. And, if cooking for adults, you can even personalize them with your own favorite, alcohol-wise: I found Limoncello and Marie Brizard's Cassis de Dijon liqueur to be very good ideas, but I usually go brandy all the way.

For three peaches, you will need: half a cup (200 grams) Nutella - the smallest pot will do; five biscuits/tea cookies, crushed (I just used my hands, to be honest, I was pissed off by Anons); a hefty dash of brandy (always Metaxa ***, in this house, for cooking - perfect sweet/spirit balance) or any sweet, fruity liqueur. If you have more peaches, multiply accordingly and play along.

Preheat your oven at about 300 Fahrenheit (150 Celsius). Prepare a sheet pan with baking paper.

Cut your peaches in half, remove stone. With the help of a melon baller, scoop as much as you see fit of the pulp - what is a melon baller? This - you probably do have one loitering around in your drawers and if not, use a tiny moka teaspoon:

3. In a bowl, mix the Nutella, the fruit pulp, the crushed biscuits/cookies and the hefty dash of brandy. Cookies-wise, I used this very popular German brand, but if you want to be decadent, Scottish shortbread is probably your best option:

4. Fill in your peaches. Carefully place them in the sheet pan. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, but do keep an eye on them, to avoid this semi-disappointing result:

However, I guarantee they disappeared very, very quickly - not in the bin.