Ingredients
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 cup mascarpone cheese
- zest and juice of 1 large orange
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 can 14-ounce can peach halves in juice
- 2 tbsp Madeira wine or sweet sherry
- 1/2 brioche loaf or 1 loaf Madeira cake, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 1 cup pistachio nuts in shell, shelled and skinned if possible, coarsely chopped
- a small handful of mint leaves
- 2 tbsp runny honey
Directions
Whip the cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat the mascarpone and fold it into the cream. Add the orange zest and juice and vanilla extract or paste and sift in the powdered sugar. Stir to mix.
Drain the peaches and reserve the juice. Pour the juice into a bowl and add the Madeira or sweet sherry. Add 2 tablespoons of the sherry-flavored peach juice to the cream mixture and beat well.
Slice by slice, dip the brioche or Madeira cake into the flavored peach juice, just long enough to coat the cake but not allowing it to go soggy. Lay each slice in the bottom of a serving dish until all the gaps are filled on the bottom.
Lay the drained peaches on top of the cake and then generously spoon over the sweetened cream up to the rim of the dish. Sprinkle over the chopped pistachios, tear over the mint leaves, and drizzle with the runny honey. Serve immediately.
Tip: Skinned pistachios are available from most Turkish markets if you have difficulty finding them elsewhere.
Recipe courtesy of Home at 7, Dinner at 8 by Sophie Wright/Kyle Books, 2012.
