Peachmisu (Peach Tiramisu)
My favorite summer fruit 🤝🏼 one of my favorite Italian desserts. 🍑
Once July hits, I dream of peaches and tomatoes.
Earlier this summer I was brainstorming different dessert recipes I could make with summer produce, which is a super fun part of the creation process.
Red, white, and blue berry trifle? No.
Banana cream pie with banana/strawberry/blueberry topping? Not quite.
Peaches & crisp cream trifle? Maybe.
Peach Tiramisu? YES.
Or as my sweet 4-year-old son affectionally renamed it, “Peachmisu”.
The first time I learned how to make a non-espresso based tiramisu was 2 ½ years ago from my friend Giulia Scarpaleggia (AKA Jules Kitchen) who taught me how to make strawberry tiramisu in her very own home.
Giulia has an incredible substack of her own where she shares beautifully written stories about her life in the Tuscany countryside, insider travel tips, and seasonal recipes, like the strawberry tiramisu that she taught me how to make in the spring of 2023. Additionally, she’s been gracious enough to teach cooking classes for our Tuscany Tour guests, which is undoubtadely a major highlight for all of our attendees.
I hope that you’ll subscribe to her newsletter, or at the very least take a peak at some of her latest work—I promise you won’t regret it!
This peach Tiramisu recipe is the prefect combination of show-stopping and straightforward. While the peaches do require the extra 15-20 minutes of blanching, soaking them in an ice bath, and finally removing the skin, I think you’ll find that the rest of the process is not only easy to follow but fun and relaxing. This is a great recipe to do with a friend or two, or even with kids.
A Few Key Tips For This Recipe
Use RIPE peaches. Sadly, those rock hard peaches that you bought in bulk are not going to cut it (I speak from personal experience!) unless they’re totally ripe and ready to go. Make sure your peaches give a little when lightly squeezed, that the skin is a combination of deep yellow and red (no green!) and that the peaches smell sweet.
Use Italian lady fingers. I recommend this brand (which you can snag on Amazon), but the key is to purchase lady fingers that are made in Italy, which will have the most ideal consistency for both absorbing the peach juice and holding their shape.
Make ahead! But not too far ahead. Allowing the tiramisu to sit for 2 hours (closer to 4 is even better), allows the dessert to set properly and go from crunchy juice-soaked cookies with cream, to a complete dessert that feels like a soft, cakey, fruit-filled symphony all in one bite. For best results, make this peach tiramisu in the morning or afternoon of the same day you’re serving it with dinner.
12 fully ripe peaches*, tennis ball-sized
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, divided