There’s nothing better than a juicy, fully-ripe, in-season peach, but such luscious delights are increasingly hard to come by, even in the summer months. “Just okay” peaches are much more common, but if you’re not willing to settle for a mediocre peach, a little heat may be the answer. With a little sugar, a little butter, and a little heat, you can transform a not-quite-perfect peach into something decadent. The heat is the key. If you’re like most people, there’s no way you’re turning your oven on in the summer for something as simple as peaches. That’s where the air fryer comes in. It delivers big heat in a small package, keeping your kitchen cool while softening your fruit and caramelizing the sugar you’re going to smear on it. All you need is peaches, sugar, butter, and brown sugar. Slice the peaches in half and remove the pits. Set your air fryer to 370º F. Once it reaches temperature, place the peach halves — cut side down — in the air fryer and cook for five minutes. Take one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of brown sugar and mash them together to make a paste. Carefully spread the mixture equally over all the peach halves, making sure to coat the entire surface so it glistens with sticky sweet butter. Then shove any excess into the hole where the pit used to be. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until the fruit is soft and caramelized on top. Let the peaches cool for a few minutes, and then decide what you want to put on them. They’re great as-is, or with a little cinnamon. You can even put something sweet, cold and creamy — like vanilla ice cream or whipped cream — or you can try a little crème fraîche if you want a less sweet, but still very creamy and sticky peach.
