Last night I came home from work and that Arabella announced the boyfriend (the one I can’t tell you about) was coming for dinner. ‘Is that so’, I said.
‘Yes. And can you be nice because he’s very nervous’.
‘He should be’.
A dessert in just over 20 minutes!
‘Mum, stop it; you should be pleased I want to bring him over’.
‘I’m overjoyed’.
‘He knows you don’t like him’.
‘When have I ever said I don’t like him’.
‘He knows you don’t like his tattoos’.
‘You are more than aware he has quite a few too many. What was he thinking! Has he had a quote on what it would cost to get them removed?’
‘Mum; as if he could afford that’.
‘Well a few less would be nice’.
Great all by themselves or serve with cream or ice cream
‘What are you cooking?’
‘Roast lamb’.
Arabella screwed up her face and groaned. ‘I hate lamb.’
‘No you don’t. It’s getting late so I’m cooking a roast because I can throw everything in the oven and walk away.’
‘Can’t you do something nice, like chicken?’
‘Really? If we have chicken I’ll have to cook two and I have to stuff them so that will take a while so we’d end up eating really late’.
‘He can’t come until eight anyway. I’ll help you. What sort of stuffing?’
‘I don’t know; onion, bacon, pine nuts, uhm dried apricots and a few herbs from the garden’.
‘I hate pine nuts…’
‘No you don’t.’
‘…but the rest sounds good. Are you making a dessert?’
‘When will I have time to make a dessert now I’ve got to stuff two chickens?’
‘Well mum I sort of talked you up a bit. I told him you’re a really good cook so he’s going to be expecting something good. Something special. Isn’t there a quick dessert you could make? Something that doesn’t take very long?
Just out of the oven
So now my cooking skills are going to be scrutinised by the tattooed boyfriend. ‘Go and set the table and I’ll think of something.
I had some peaches in the fruit bowl, some chocolate in the pantry and some fruit mince left over from my Christmas baking and not a lot of time. I made this and the chickens for the tattooed boyfriend and judging from the lack of leftovers I think I managed to live up to the rave review Arabella had shared with Mr Tattoo.
This is a great way to use up stone fruit that’s ripening too quickly and we all have bits of leftover chocolate lying around and then there’s the Christmas fruit mince that needs using up. This dessert doesn’t take long to do and can be in the oven within a few minutes. I put them in the oven just before we sat down to the roasted chickens and 20 minutes later they were done.
Peaches stuffed with Christmas fruit mince and dark chocolate
Baked Peaches
Makes: 6
Degree of Difficulty: 2/5
Cost: Best made when peaches are in season and then this will be a very inexpensive dessert.
- 6 ripe peaches (I used white and yellow as the stones come out fairly easily)
- small quantity of fruit mince
- small quantity of cooking chocolate
- small quantity of butter
Preheat oven to 200C (400F)
Use an apple corer to remove stones from the peaches. When the corer hits the stone, keep pushing until the stone pops out the other end.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and place peaches on the tray. Stuff the peaches with the fruit mince (it’s easiest to use your fingers) then place a small chunk of chocolate on top. Put a dot of butter on top of the peaches and place in the oven for 20 minutes.
Serve with cream or ice cream.
Baked Peaches
Mmm, this looks delicious and a wonderful way to use up some stone fruit. Lucky illustrated boyfriend!
Lad looks like he’s been slapped with a wet comic book, does he? I’m sure he appreciated the feast you prepared 🙂
YAY 🙂 you finally got to meet the mysterious boyfriend that’s FANTASTIC! How was it? Did you like him? hehe
I really don’t know how you managed to change your own dinner plan and still make such amazing mains and DESSERT 🙂
Take care remember to always look after yourself! You are not supposed to be super woman! xox
so beautiful…. How lucky boyfriend.
I was really looking forward to a picture of the “secret” boyfriend…I thought for sure you’d sneak one in. Ha! The peaches looks delicious! I can’t wait until stone fruit is in season in NH. 🙂
Well, at least Mr. Tattoo makes for great blog material. And he liked your food. That’s two positives.
LOL! She totally cracks me up! I hope the dinner went well:-) Love your quick dessert idea, the flavors would be delicious together. I never thought to use an apple corer on peaches, but that is a fabulous idea!! Hugs, Terra
I too am looking forward to a picture of Mr. Tattoo. Perhaps just a quick one when he isn’t looking? A close-up of some ink? No one has brought any tattoos home here … yet. The peaches look lovely.
These must be the lovely peaches you were cooking! I have never baked peaches before but maybe I should start, it looks super delicious!!
I’ve never thought to bake anything besides apples, but what a great idea! Also, adding chocolate sounds amazing. Hope you approved of the boyfriend 😉
Me too, would love a sneaked in photo of “Mr. Tattoo”. Now that you have lived up to the rave review Arabella had shared with Mr Tattoo you will most likely be seeing a lot more of him. Arabella sure knows how to wrap you around little finger.
Quite a fancy dinner for Mr Tattoo! You are a good woman to do so much in such a short time. These peaches look delicious and quick and easy. I guess you’ll be seeing more of him now that he knows you are an awesome cook!
Nazneen
I was reading your post, Charlie, and couldn’t help think how times have changed. My Dad had fits when my friends with long hair visited. Tattoos? Those were reserved for swarthy types. A young man that my SIs invited to dinner had better look and act like he was a seminary student — and even then he’d be grilled. Too funny ..
I will definitely keep this dessert in mind this Summer. Thanks, Charlie, it sounds delicious!
No one could ever talk you up enough, my dear.
If you throw together great desserts like this on short notice, you’re going to have to keep expecting these last minute guests at your table. Next time just put a tub of ice cream and a bunch of spoons on the table and let them help themselves. No more last minute company. Especially not Mr. Tattoo. 🙂
I am definitely sure this pleased the boyfriend 😀
These peaches look incredible!
Cheers
CCU
Charlie, your posts always make me smile, so amusing!
The baked peaches look very pretty.
That just proves what a good Mother you are!! I hope Arabella and Mr Tattoo r e a l l y appreciated the effort. The peaches look very yummy, a great one for the summer. GG
You are awesome! I definitely would have just cooked what I’d planned and then moved on. Dinner sounds delicious! Glad you impressed Mr. Tattoo!
Chicken is fancier than roast lamb? I’m not understanding that one.
I was also looking for a picture of the secret boy friend! 🙂 Did the dinner went well??
I love this tasty dessrt a lot! Yummy!
Oh what a good mother you are! I’m hoping that there’s more to that story. I want to know all about tattoo boyfriend!
So now you are not only spoiling your own children with fabulous meals, but also the tattooed boyfriend! It all sounds good. (Well, maybe not the tattooed boyfriend so much.)
I’ve never had baked peaches before but your version looks amazing 🙂
I would have voted for the lamb – we have chicken all the time, but rarely lamb. Great dessert. I’ll save the idea for our summer, when the appropriate fruit is in season. And nice that you met Mr. Tattoo!
We have yet had a boyfriend home for dinner, middlec has wisely stuck to coffee shop dates so far 🙂 I’m not a big fan of tattoos, and a lot of employers are cracking down on visible-outside-of-a-shirt ones now too. I’m so glad Mr Scribble loved his dinner- I hope it earned him a few brownie points with you?
I just love your stories!! Your daughter sounds soo much like mine!! Too funny!! This is great, easy to pull together dessert; I love baked fruit and the addition of chocolate is perfect!!
Ok, we really need to see a pic of tattoo boyfriend! What were his tattoos of?
And all this after work!! Amazing and fab. That looks lovely, I’ve never stuffed a peach, love them roasted for brekkie though.
Now then in your next post, could you please tell all about the dinner conversation.
Well, you are a NICE, nice mom! Your baked peaches look amazing…I need to make those instead of baked apples…wow. Did you end up making chicken?
I’m so impressed you honoured Arabella’s request and didn’t tell us about the dinner and boyfriend himself! (Or are you going to tell us next time? Because truth be told, I’d be even more impressed if you honoured your readers curiousity more than Arabella’s request 😉 ).
These do look delicious Charlie and chocolate with fruit is something that will always be perfect to me.
At Arabella’s age (actually younger) I was already cooking dinner for my parents so they didn’t have to when they got home from work!
Those peaches sound like an amazing dessert and I love how simple they are! Delicious!
Wow! Those look really good! And fairly easy, too! I think I could even do those! I’m not so sure I could keep my mouth shut about Le’ boyfriend… 😉
Great idea Charlie, you passed the invention test. I love that. Mine always seems to spring people on me when I have nothing to share. Its like feast and famine round here. I am sure we will hear more so I will refrain from asking any questions except …how are you , I was wondering if you were OK, your absence has been felt
Sometimes I wish I could be a fly on the wall in your house so I could listen in to these conversations. Those stuffed apples look glorious.
You know we all want to see a picture of Mr Tattoo now!
What a fantastic idea for peaches – well thought up Charlie.
🙂 Mandy xo
You are so resourceful Charlie! Your kids certainly keep you on your toes, but you do a pretty graceful dance on them!
Hehe so how did dinner go? Did you like him more after you got to know him? And was his suitably polite and complimentary about your cooking? 😀
Hehe, I’m with the others… I want to know more about the boyfriend now. Was he a suitable dinner guest? Secret photos of his tatts so we the readers can judge politely from afar? 🙂
I’m not quite sure what to say about this boyfriend that I’m not supposed to know about but at least he has good taste in food? That is at least one redeeming quality! That might make up for…half a tattoo?
I love reading your posts because they’re always funny and give such insight on your family life. I should hope the tattooed boyfriend would like that dinner!
Your peaches looks delicious, very good idea! Hope you had a great dinner with mr tattoo. ;=)
Wait, is this To Be Continued???? So what exactly happened at the dinner? How was he? I hope this series continue…I’m curious! I already know the dinner and the dessert were very nice. 😉 I love the conversation between you two!
MMMMMM. When we were kids our parents made baked apples. I am unsure of this ingredient called leftover chocolate though. Leftover? Is there such a thing. Glad Mr Tattoo liked it:) But now he will come back again.
What a perfect dessert! You’re so clever to think of that quickly. And I would love it! The addition of the chocolate is something I’ve never tried. I love Arabella and boyfriend stories! I wish he weren’t so private…I’d like to see some photography of the body art! 🙂 I hope he was appreciative!
Fantastic dessert!
Between loved reading the post… I must say lucky boyfriend, hegot to enjoy such delicious food n dessert
Thank goodness you can think on your feet and whip up a “special dinner” at the drop of a hat. Your reputation is still in tact. Don’t know if Mr. T is worth it though.
Ooooh thank you for the brilliant dessert idea! It’s freezing cold in Melbourne today and I just remembered I have a huge bowl full of left over fruit mince from Christmas, some wrinkly apples in the fruit bowl and an oven still on from the casserole I made for dinner. Brilliant! 🙂
Awww, that will be a great memory for your daughter.
I can see why your daughter talked up your cooking skills to the b/f…that looks like a terrific and very creative quick little dessert.
Hope the boyfriend was appreciative! He should’ve been. That dessert looks spectacular. I still cringe at the memory of bringing boyfriends home to be scrutinized by my mum. With hindsight, I know that she was ‘right’ about all of them!
lovely! and I had to laugh about the bf!
Haha, you sound a lot like my mum 😛 except that we agree on tattoos. But she does love people to be scared of her! I’ve only just learnt to trust mum’s judgement on boyfriends…tragically she’s always right :S Looove the stuffed peaches as an idea, really craving them now!
Thats funny, but being of the inked variety myself I cant comment on the amount. Yay to chicken and lamb and all things fruity 😉
Haha all I can think of is the horror that my family experiences when I was 15 and dating a 20 year old. My poor Mum. Your dinner sounds like it was amazing and I’m sure Mr Tattoo has some positive qualities 😛 My Tyler is a Mr Tattoo too!
Hahahah can’t stop giggling over your description of the tattooed boyfriends! These peaches look like a wonderful dessert to put together quickly and what a lovely Mum you are to cook two chickens instead of lamb after that 🙂
The peaches look great.
Dying to know how the dinner went! So is Mr. Tattoo an official boyfriend now? The peaches look great and easy! The perfect kind of dessert. 🙂
I’m catching up…had to laugh over the cooking skills being scrutinized by the tattooed boyfriend! The peaches look festive and delicious.
With a dessert like that, I’m sure you will be seeing a lot of the tattooed boyfriend. 🙂
These look wonderful. Am certain the tattooed lad appreciated all the effort.
Hooray for stuffing things with mincemeat! What a coincidence you should post this 😀 I never stuffed peaches before (or baked them)… I’m going to try it, although I’ll need to wait quite some months before we can get them here sadly!
I hope that when peaches are in season in France you give this a try. It’s a lovely twist on the traditional baked apples. Do you have any other recipes for using mince meat?