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Grand Prize Winner

1st Prize ' Dessert Category

Recipe created by Wolfgang Hanau

West Palm Beach, Florida

Make It Special Chef Recipe Contest

Makes 12 servings

Chef Quote: "I enjoy cooking with fruits because they are naturally sweet and healthy. Fruits provide the sugar your body needs to sustain itself and their natural flavors are so good that they sweeten desserts beautifully." ' Wolfgang Hanau

(NC)'Juicy, ripe California peaches with espresso-dipped ladyfinger cookies, mascarpone cream, hazelnuts and a warm Gianduia chocolate drizzle create a decadent dessert that's a perfect encore to any meal. The combination of tangy peaches and rich chocolate set the stage for this beautiful, flavorful and elegant dessert.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup hazelnuts

1 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

6 large California peaches, peeled

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup mascarpone

12 soft ladyfinger cookies

1/2 cup brewed espresso (or espresso liqueur)

2 ounces Gianduia chocolate, chopped*

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

*Giandiua (pronounced john-DOO-yuh) is a combination of roasted, pulverized hazelnuts and chocolate (usually milk chocolate). It can be found in chocolate or confectionary specialty stores.

Method:

Preheat oven to 375' F. Toast hazelnuts on a sheet pan, stirring often, until skin is cracked. To remove the peel, rub hazelnuts in a kitchen towel. Coarsely chop hazelnuts and set aside.

Combine 2 cups of water with sugar and cinnamon stick in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Drop in the peaches and cook until the skin cracks and easily separates from the fruit. Immediately transfer the peaches to a bucket of iced water. Peel the fruit, cut in half and remove the pits.

Beat the heavy cream to soft peaks; fold the corn syrup into the whipped cream and add to mascarpone to blend.

Dip ladyfinger cookies into espresso (or espresso liqueur). Melt the Giandiua chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Place 1 ladyfinger in the bottom of each of 12 champagne glasses or dessert dishes. Top with 1 peach half. Spoon on the mascarpone cream, garnish with hazelnuts, dust with the cocoa and drizzle with melted chocolate.

Nutrition information per serving ' PROTEIN: 6 grams; FAT: 22 grams; CARBOHYDRATE: 39 grams; FIBER: 2 grams; SODIUM: 55 milligrams; CHOLESTEROL: 51 milligrams; CALORIES: 353 calories.

For more recipes and information on California peaches, plums and nectarines, please visit www.eatcaliforniafruit.com.

- News Canada