I really want to get this recipe into your hands before summer unofficially ends as school begins. Some of you may have already crossed that threshold, but here in Ohio, we have one last weekend of summertime bliss before we put our backpacked bundles of joy onto the bus next week.

If you want to hold onto the last wisps of summer, this dessert will do it. A simple grilled peach topped with honey cream is an amazing way to end a Sunday evening. This “cream” is actually made by thinning out a little nonfat Greek yogurt to make a deliciously sweet topping for a perfectly ripe peach. Another summer in the books. I hope yours was a great one.

Grilled Peaches with Honey Cream

adapted from Cooking Light

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons honey, divided

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)

Dash of kosher salt

4 medium peaches, pitted and halved

Cooking Spray

1/3 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

2 1/2 tablespoons half-and-half

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:

1. Mix melted butter, 1 tablespoon honey, cardamom (optional), and salt in a bowl. Add peaches, toss to coat, and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

2. Heat grill to medium. Rub grates with oil and arrange peaches on grill; cook 2 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear.

3. Combine yogurt, half-and-half, remaining 1 tablespoon honey, and vanilla in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Serve over with peaches and fresh raspberries.

You wouldn’t believe how often I get questions about how to cook fish; it’s still one of those foods that makes people a little nervous. They either think 1) their house is going to smell awful or 2) fish cookery is terribly complicated. If you’re among the skeptics, I’m about to dispel your fears.

This recipe is quick, fragrant, and nearly mess-free! You’re going to cook a mild fish in foil or parchment packets with aromatic additions like ginger, soy, garlic, sesame oil, and sherry. If you haven’t cooked with these ingredients before, you are in for a treat! These classic Asian flavors smell amazing – certainly nothing like the fish sticks of your childhood.

I’m recommending tilapia here because it’s ubiquitous these days, but you can use any mild white fish like sea bass, branzino, flounder, or red snapper if you’d prefer. Once you get the packets assembled, you’re 12 minutes away from dinner. That just might make you a fish cooking convert!

Ginger Fish in a Packet

serves 4

Ingredients

1 carrot

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced

1 1/3 pounds skinless tilapia fillets, cut into 4 portions

2 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1 tablespoon dry sherry

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Fold four 20-inch long pieces of foil or parchment in half.

2.  Using a vegetable peeler, shave the carrot into long strips.  Divide carrot into four portions, and mound each portion in the center of each piece of foil.  Divide the ginger, garlic, and mushrooms equally among the packets and place on top of the carrots.  Place a piece of fish on top of the vegetables.  Arrange the scallions on top.

3.  Combine the soy sauce, oil, and sherry.  Pour over the portions of fish.  Close the packets with tight folds.

4.  Arrange, uncrowded, in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake.  A 3/4 – 1 inch fillet will take about 12 minutes to bake.  Cut an X in each packet to release steam and place on individual dinner plates. Voila!