Roasted Peach BBQ Sauce

Although the "official" BBQ season is in the books for another year (sigh), it's been warm enough this past week that the outdoor grills have remained fired up. On any given day, I can come home to a neighbourhood filled with the aromas of world-wide outdoor cooking - from our "two doors down" Jamaican neighbours making a killer jerk recipe to the Portuguese family across the street grilling herb and garlic fish and chicken and our "native" Canadian next door neighbours tossing on burgers and hot dogs for their family of five. Ironically, I've never been a fan of grilled food as a rule - chalk it up to a childhood of once too often charred protein from the backyard barbecue (and currently living in a household that adores emptying a whole canister of lighter fluid onto the charcoal before lighting it each time) - but I do love the smell of it cooking when it's done properly. 

That said, even dried-out (and hopefully NOT charcoal-black) grilling can be enhanced - even saved - by a good, balanced and flavourful sauce. Normally, you would never see me bring fruit to a savoury party willingly (I'm not talking "fruit vegetables" here), but I'm not opposed to sauces with certain fruity tones. You'd find me enjoying Spicy Plum Sauce (and it's apricot / pumpkin based Western version) on broiled pork chops or chicken breasts, pineapple marinades do wonders for tofu, shrimp and flank steak, and while I personally shy away from the whole "apples and pork" cliche my mom goes for it whole hog (sorry!).

So when I came across this roasted fruit BBQ sauce in Brown Eggs and Jam Jars, by the fabulous Aimée Wimbush-Bourque, I knew I had to make it - not only for me, but for Mother Dearest who has an almost unnatural passion for fresh Ontario Summer peaches. I gave my batch a few twists along the way, amplifying the caramel sweetness of the peaches with roasted Vidalia onions and raisiny, long-aged black garlic. For a kick of savoury in with all the bittersweet notes, a whisper of smoked paprika and smoked salt kicked up the flavours of the fire, even if your BBQ is tucked away for another year!

Shared with  Waste Not Want Not Wednesday and Gluten Free Fridays

Roasted Peach BBQ Sauce
Makes 4 cups, 32 (2 tbsp) servings 
3 medium fresh peaches, halved and pitted
½ sweet (Vidalia) onion, peeled and halved
1 tbsp olive oil
½ cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
6 cloves black garlic (you can use half a head of roasted garlic if you can't get black garlic)
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
½ cup apple juice (or ideally, cider)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp smoked paprika (either hot or sweet)
½ tsp smoked salt (or sea salt)

1. Heat oven to 425F
2. Place peaches and onion, cut side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with oil.
3. Roast for 25 minutes, shaking pan halfway through.
4. In a large pot, combine the vinegar, sugar and honey and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and the roasted mixture and simmer 25-30 minutes.
6. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth and can 15 minutes in a water bath.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 21.0
Total Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 32.8 mg
Total Carbs: 4.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.4 g
Protein: 0.2 g