PAT I have a confession—when I was a kid, I would jump my grandmother’s neighbor’s fence and pluck peaches from Mr. Johnson’s trees. I figured that there were so many of those little darlings hanging from Mr. Johnson’s trees he surely wouldn’t miss a few. Looking back on it, you could say those peaches helped me develop an appreciation for the simple pleasures life has to offer. Over the years, we’ve grown fond of grilling sweet fruit. (Yes, we do “grill everything.”) When you add the smoky flavor from the grill to the sweetness of the apricots and peaches, well, you are talking about a different kind of dessert from the shortcake you’re used to. Ours also calls for biscuits (talk about a Neely spin on things!). And the turbinado sugar is just a fancy name for sugar in the raw . . . like me!

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

　　2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

　　1 tablespoon baking powder

　　1 teaspoon table salt

　　1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream, at room temperature

　　1 egg

　　1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

　　3 ripe peaches, pitted and quartered

　　6 apricots, pitted and halved

　　1/3 cup light-brown sugar

　　1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur

　　Freshly whipped cream, for serving

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

　　

Step 2

Whisk together the flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the cream with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.

　　

Step 3

Flour your work surface, turn the dough onto it, and knead until it is smooth and uniform in appearance. Pat the dough out to a 1-inch thickness. Punch out dough rounds using a biscuit cutter dipped in flour. Push together the leftover dough, pat out again to 1-inch thickness and cut out more rounds. You should have six biscuits. Arrange the biscuits on the parchment-lined sheet tray.

　　

Step 4

Whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream and the egg in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the egg wash, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

　　

Step 5

Preheat your grill to medium heat.

　　

Step 6

Toss the peaches and apricots with the brown sugar and amaretto in a bowl. Place the fruit on the grill, cut side down at first, and cook the apricots for 1 to 2 minutes per side, and the peaches for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and place in a bowl to cool.

　　

Step 7

To serve, slice the biscuits in half, and divide the grilled apricots and peaches among the bottoms of the biscuits, drizzling on any juices remaining in the bowl. Add a nice dollop of whipped cream to each, and top each with the other half of the biscuit.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Neelys' Celebration Cookbook by Pat and Gina Nelly. Copyright © 2011 by Pat and Gina Nelly with Anna Volkwein. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Pat and Gina Neely are restaurateurs, best-selling authors, popular speakers, and hosts of the Food Network hit series Down Home with the Neelys. They recently opened their first New York City restaurant, Neely's Barbecue Parlor. They live with their daughters in Memphis, where they enjoy cooking at home with family and friends.Ann Volkwein is a best-selling food and lifestyle author based in New York City and Austin, Texas. Her previous books include: The Arthur Avenue Cookbook, Chinatown New York, Mixt Greens (with Andrew Swallow), and, with Guy Fieri: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; More Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives; and Guy Fieri Food.