Vanilla Bean-Roasted Peach Bellini’s with Strawberry Puree Ice Cubes

Vanilla Bean-Roasted Peach Bellini's with Strawberry Puree Ice Cubes

What's more fitting than a Bellini or Mimosa on a Sunday-Brunch-kinda-morning? I'm a sucker for any champagne cocktail, so when we recently got engaged, I knew I had to make a specialty drink for our little pre-engagement party. These were perfect, absolutely perfect. We used fresh + ripe Georgia peaches and roasted them in the oven for an even more concentrated peachy flavor, and then boosted them with some vanilla bean for sweetness. The glasses are topped off with champagne and frozen strawberry puree ice cubes. I happened to see some heart shaped ice cube trays at Target the day of our party and just somehow had to incorporate them that night, and this was the perfect way! The hearts were so adorable, and added a lovely sweetness + just the slightest pink tint at the top! We had to put some cute, vintage paper straws because it is an obvious addition. Feel free to do as you please :)

the heart shapes are so cute.

For the Vanilla Bean-Roasted Peach Puree:

4-5 Large Peaches, Seed Removed & Split in Half

Honey, For drizzling

Sugar, For Sprinkling

1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

For the Strawberry Puree Ice Cubes:

20oz Fresh Strawberries, Cut into Pieces

½C Sugar

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice, To Taste (optional)

For the Vanilla Bean-Roasted Peach Bellini’s:
Prepared Roasted Peach Puree, Chilled

Champagne, For Filling

Prepared Strawberry Puree Ice Cubes

Directions:

1. For the Roasted Peach Puree: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare the peaches by cutting them in half and removing their center seed. Toss the peaches with the honey and place them cut-side down in a roasting pan. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, and then flip them over, sprinkle heavily with sugar, and continue roasting them for another 15-20 minutes. For the last 5 minutes of roasting, turn the oven up to broil and let the fruit flesh caramelize and brown. Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. After cooling, remove the peach peels and puree them in a food processor until smooth. Add in the vanilla bean seeds and pulse until thoroughly mixed. Pour into a jar and cool completely.

2. For the Strawberry Puree Ice Cubes: Put the strawberries and their juice in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process the berries until they are pureed.  Add ¼C of the sugar to start and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Also add a little lemon juice to taste. Pulse until smooth and pour into a measuring cup. Using the measuring cup, gently pour the puree into the heart shaped ice cube containers. Freeze until hard.

3. For the Vanilla Bean-Roasted Peach Bellini’s: Pour some of the vanilla bean peach puree into a flute or glass, and fill the rest of it with champagne to the rim. Add in a few strawberry puree ice cubes and serve with a pretty vintage straw.