WELL HELLO THERE easy, impressive weekend dessert! This is my summer fruit jam-a-lam. There may be nothing better than a heat-kissed peach, and a big scoop of milky vanilla ice cream.
But if there’s one thing that can improve on that combo, it’s this Goma Praline. Goma is the Japanese word for sesame, a fact that I learned in primary school Japanese class and ever since then I have been thinking of sesame seeds as ‘goma’. So here we are.
Another primary school memory is of sesame-snaps, which as far as I can tell, are sesame praline disguised as a healthy treat for kids. They would come in this miniature-card-deck and were so perfectly geometric. I loved the way they looked, but I hated the taste.
As an adult, the taste of bitter, aromatic sesame in smoky caramel is pretty much addictive to me. Especially with that little sprinkle of salt, and the ice cream and the peaches…..oh so good. And easy! Check it.
The caramel is easy like Sunday morning – seriously, don’t get caught up on it. Just throw some sugar and water into a pan, and then don’t touch it. Put it on the heat, and don’t touch it. Watch it cook – keep not touching it – and then when it turns a lovely amber colour, take it off the heat.
Spoon in your sesame seeds, and then use a heat-proof spatula to give everything a stir, and it is very hot, so take care.
Pour that sesame-studded caramel out onto a piece of baking paper (making sure your surface is heat-safe) and then spread it out with a palette knife into a thin layer. You’re aiming to get this about 1 sesame seed thick, but if it’s a little thicker, it’s no worries.
Now, set that disk of praline aside and let it cool down completely. Warn everyone that it’s very hot, and they should leave it the hell alone. And then kick back and have a coffee. The hard work is done – the rest of this split will take five minutes. Also, can we have more splits please! I feel like any time we make a sundae with fruit it should be called a fruit split. Deal? Deal.
So anway, when you want to get yo’ split on, just wash your peaches and slice them in half. Heat a little butter in a frying pan and throw them babies in, cooking them until they’re lightly browned and soft, but still holding their shape.
As for the praline, once it’s cooled you can either break it into cool, geometric shards, or bash it in a pestle and mortar (or with a rolling pin) and scatter it over in dust and rubble.
And don’t forget that ice cream yo! I’m a huge fan of a fancy ice cream dessert for a special dinner. Mainly because most people don’t seem to eat ice cream with quite as much regularity as I do, so it always seems like a pleasant surprise.
This goma praline definitely takes this to a grown-up level. And if you can get a funky flavour that’s great – buttermilk would be amazing, or sour cream, or even a burnt caramel. Oh, and if you’re up in the Northern Hemisphere and can’t get peachses right now, this would be great with poached pears! Happy weekend!
xx Sarah.
P.S. The AWESOME napkin that you see in these shots (white with black crosses) was given to me by the lovely Jackie from Fazeek. She’s an Aussie like me, and she hand-paints these gorgeous things – if you like ’em then check her out! She ships locally and internationally!
- ½ cup (110g) caster sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds
- sea salt
- 2 peaches
- 1 tbsp butter
- vanilla ice cream, to serve
- Place the sugar and water into a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Cook, without stirring for 5-8 minutes, or until it turns amber.
- Remove from the heat, and add the sesame seeds to the pan. Pour the mixture out onto a piece of baking paper (make sure it's on a heat-safe surface) and spread out into a thin layer. Leave to cool completely.
- Wash the peaches, and slice into halves. Heat the butter in a frying pan, and cook the peaches until they are lightly browned and slightly softened.
- To serve, place two peach halves in a bowl, top with vanilla ice cream, and a few broken pieces of praline.
i love the idea of this praline…that could totally be a snack right?
Absolutely! But then again, I feel that way about pretty much everything.
For some reason, it’s very odd to me to see “peach” splits rather than “banana” splits. It’s kinda fun to say! With that being said, these splits to look delicious though. The sesame praline is interesting.
Such a great idea! I never would have thought peaches and sesame went together. Looks like they are splendid in this disH!
Thanks June!
This looks so amazing!! And it looks doable for me :)
Totally doable! Definitely a good way to get started with making caramel, if you never have before.
I am so impressed with the goma praline.
I’d love to add it to a salad too.
Awesome dessert! And so easy too!
I love the napkins; I’ve seen them before on Instagram and I have been madly coverting them!!
I spotted them on insta too – so gorgeous!
I do like the idea of a bit of textural crunch with peaches and ice cream. And sesame sounds great too.
I love peaches but the praline sounds divine!
Your praline looks amazing!
ok i was scared going into this because i’ve never heard the word goma before, but well, hello there, japanese word for my favorite ingredients ever in the world!!!!! i had an inkling that it might be related because of gomasio seasoning. yay for learning a new thing!!! also japanese class??!!?!? so cool.
Oh man, that praline looks amaaaaazing!! Pure deliciousness girl!
Looks delicious! It’s always good idea to add something crispy to otherwise creamy and smooth desserts.
OMMGgggg this is my everything. I’ve always wanted to know how to make sesame praline! And with peaches and ice cream — heaven. I want it to be summer already. So amazing, Sarah!!
OMG this looks fantastic! I’m definitely bookmarking for future summer peach season!
Sarah, I loved everything about this post. While I myself am a sucker for a good banana split I don’t discriminate against peaches and goma praline. Genius combo!!
Thanks lovely!
Yowza! That combo looks delish and what a novel idea – sesame praline… cheers!
Forget about banana splits; I want these peach splits!! Yum :)
Edible Gold Fillings 2.0!
Simple, tasty and may I just say healthy dessert. Love everything about it. And goma is such a better word for sesame too. I am adopting it x