Leslie Karst

A New Sally Solari Adventure–and a Recipe!

Tomorrow marks the release day of my sixth Sally Solari mystery, A Sense for Murder.

Just wow.

When I set fingers to keyboard to begin composing what would end up being the first in the series, Dying for a Taste, I had no idea I’d be lucky enough to publish six books about the intrepid, stubborn, snarky, bourbon- and Giants baseball-loving, restaurateur Sally.

But here we are.

As many of you know, each of the books contains little Easter eggs regarding one of the human senses: Dying for a Taste (taste–duh); A Measure of Murder (hearing/music); Death al Fresco (sight/painting); Murder from Scratch (touch—and Sally’s blind cousin’s heightened sense of it); The Fragrance of Death (smell—or, rather, the lack thereof).

So in this new book, the Easter eggs had to be about the “sixth” sense, right? Not a lot, since I’m not at all a woo-woo kind of gal (nor is Sally), but it’s definitely there—along with a stolen signed copy of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, a farm-to-table dinner; a dead front-of-the-house dining manager; and food—lots of food!

Since much of the action of A Sense for Murder takes place at the restaurant/culinary bookstore Pages and Plums, I’m going to share with you today one of the recipes from that establishment which is featured in the book. It’s a great dessert to make if you’re already firing up the barbecue for the main course, and right now when stone fruit are just coming into season, it’s a real winner!

Grilled Peaches with Balsamic-Plum-Black Pepper Reduction

(serves 6)

If you’re going to be grilling your dinner anyway, it’s easy to simply throw on some peach halves after the main course is cooked, to allow their sugar to caramelize with beautiful grate marks and for them to take on a lovely smoky flavor. Once grilled, the peaches can be kept warm in the oven until time for dessert, then served with a rich vanilla ice cream and drizzled with this flavorful balsamic reduction.

And don’t worry that this recipe makes more sauce than you’ll use on the peaches, as it keeps well in the fridge, and can be reheated and used later for a delicious glaze for anything from pork chops, to chicken, to tofu. (Note that the photo depicts the dish made with sautéed peach slices, as I was unable to procure fresh peaches at that time.)

Ingredients

1 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup ripe plums, cut into chunks

¼ teaspoon black pepper (or more, to taste)

6 ripe peaches, pitted and halved

olive oil to brush on peaches

vanilla ice cream

kosher or flake salt for garnish

Directions

Make the sauce: Combine in a medium saucepan the vinegar, sugar, plums, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook, stirring often so it doesn’t burn, until reduced by half (about 20 minutes). The sauce should be thick enough to cling the back of a spoon, yet thin enough to pour.

Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, pressing down with a spoon to get as much of the plum flesh off the skins as possible, then cover and store in the fridge until needed. The sauce can be made several days in advance and reheated in the microwave or on the stove before serving.

Brush the cut sides of the peaches with olive oil and place them, cut side down, on a medium-heat grill. Cook until warm through and grate marks appear.

Serve the grilled peaches with a scoop or two of ice cream, drizzle everything with warm balsamic reduction, and garnish with a sprinkle of salt.

Enjoy!

32 thoughts on “A New Sally Solari Adventure–and a Recipe!”

  4. Leslie, huge congrats on Sally #SIX tomorrow!! I’m a big sixth-sense fan, however light the reference, so I’m especially excited for her next adventure. I am also drooling for this dessert–we do a lot of grilling here year-round. Hope to get a few fresh peaches this year in NH, but…sigh. Our own little tree had a hard winter, followed by crazy rainstorms for months. (Felt like it, anyway.) If need be, frozen ’tis!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Congratulations on the newest Sally book! Ontario peaches and plums are arriving at the FM and stores, so I plan on trying your balsamic recipe.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Eeep! So excited about number six, Leslie!! CONGRATS!

    The recipe looks and sounds (and, if we’re talking multiple senses, I’m sure smells) divine. I’ve just started cookin’ on the ‘cue, and though I’m a wee little baby griller, have been enjoying it very much. Can’t wait to give this a spin!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Yay for #6!! I’ve made a similar dessert and used the leftover sauce on pancakes. So delish! And our Palisade peaches have just started showing up in the stores and they are SO GOOD!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a comment