Grilled Peach Parfait plus Summer Grilling Tips

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Walmart.

Summer is synonymous with grilling. Steaks, hamburgers, and hotdogs by cooking them on the grill you change not only the flavor of the meat but also the over all presentation of the food. Nothing gathers friends and family better than a summer BBQ. As a part of the Walmart Moms, I recently attended an event where I had the opportunity to hear Chef Ernest Servantes, Chopped Grill Masters Champion, speak his grilling knowledge. But the best part was afterwards when we were able to sample his grill magic. Out of all of the delicious dishes that I tried, grilled peaches stood out to me the most. Did you know that you could even grill a peach? Oh the flavor is heavenly as it reminds me so much of good southern peach cobbler but without the crust. As soon as I returned home I knew that I wanted to try my hand at grilling peaches, since I live in the peach state afterall, in a Grilled Peach Parfait.

I went to my local Walmart store and picked up everything I needed to grill peaches for our parfait. In this parfait I used Chobani’s greek vanilla blended yogurt. If greek yogurt has too strong of a taste for you or the kids, then I would suggest substituting for either regular Yoplait (Great Value is also a great tasting brand) peach blended yogurt or just a Plain (or vanilla flavored) yogurt.

Grilled Peach Parfait

• 6 ripe peaches 
• 1 large container of Chobani Vanilla Greek Yogurt 
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• Aladdin Mason Jars or some other small serving container

First, preheat your grill. I used a gas grill (thanks Dad for sharing) to cook our peaches but you could also use charcoal. The higher the temperature the faster your peaches will cook and the quicker you will see those beautiful grill marks. Our grill was set between 350-450°F.

After preheating your grill, then wash and dry all of your peaches before slicing them in half and removing the pits. Dip each peach half into the sugar, cut side down and place onto the hot grill.

Close the lid and allow to cook for about 10-15 mins. Check on your peaches every so often as they can get dark pretty fast, especially when using a gas grill. You are looking for beautiful grill marks on the fruit. Once they begin to appear then it’s time to flip them to the other side.Once you’ve flipped your peaches to the other side, close the lid again and allow to cook for an additional 5-10 mins. Remove the peaches from the grill and allow to cool to room temperature.

Once the peaches have reached room temperature and aren’t so piping hot. It’s time to dice them for our parfait. Dice all of the peach halves and set them aside for layering. I chose to layer my Grilled Peach Parfait in Aladdin Mason Jars as they are my favorite brand of drinking glasses sold at Walmart right now. But these plastic mason jars can be used for so much more than just being a great glass to sip your favorite Southern Sweet Tea from. Since Aladdin Mason Jars comes in a variety of different shapes, the smaller ones ($5 at Walmart on Clearance in a Pack of 4) are ideal for individual desserts for guests to your next Summer Grilling Party. Start with the yogurt and alternate layers with the diced grilled peaches. Top your parfait with additional grilled peaches and serve.

My friend and fellow Walmart Mom Tina of Mommy’s Kitchen was smitten with the grilled peaches as well. How amazing does Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream sound? I will definitely be trying out her version of grilled peaches next.

Summer Grilling Tips

There were two tips that I learned from the professional grill masters that spoke to us at the Jackson House in Bentonville, Arkansas. One was that you can use a sliced onion to prepare your grill for grilling. Just slice a raw onion in half and rub it on your grill grates before grilling to add additional flavor and keep sticking to a minimum.

Second, did you know that it is better NOT to soak your wood chips? For years, all I’ve heard is to soak your wood chips before adding them into your smoker box on the grill. So to hear NOT to soak them in water before grilling definitely piqued my interest. Why is it best not to soak them in water? Because when you add the woodchips to the grill, the heat of your grill has to evaporate all of that moisture that you added to the wood before it can begin to burn. By eliminating the water, you are getting rid of evaporation process and getting straight to the smoke. And as we all know smoke equals flavor.

Check out what the other Walmart Moms had to say…

• Lynnae McCoy: Grilled Chimichurri Steak Tacos {Plus Bonus Grilling & Entertaining Tips}
• Unsophisticook: Spicy Grilled Potato Salad | Using A Grill Topper
• Growing Up Blackxican: Summer Grilling: Smoked Shrimp and Asparagus
• Presley’s Pantry: Cherry Chipotle Pork Ribs: Using The 2-2-1 Method
• Pocket Change Gourmet: Grilled Shrimp with Butter and Herbs
• De Su Mama: Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce on Grilled Rib Eye Steaks
• Wholesome Mommy: Grilled Nectarines and Plums with Almond Cream
• Frugal Upstate: Cedar Plank Grilling ~~ Shrimp and Queso Fresco
• Cutie Booty Cakes: Cedar Plank Grilled Shrimp
• Well Connected Mom: Indoor Grilling: No Guessing When Your Meat is Done

Have you ever tried to grill fruit?