Grilled Peaches with Honey Balsamic Dressing

Come summer time and I OD on fruits. It gets too hot and humid to cook or eat anything warm most of the time. I usually go to the 4 Bungalows market to buy fruits. I think it is much better than a supermarket in terms of freshness, variety and price! After a few days though it gets a bit boring to have same old fruits the same old way. Every once in a while I give in to my urges to spurge on more exotic albeit expensive varieties. And that’s how I ended up buying some peaches.

I have had peaches before as part of some kind of a dessert at restaurants but never as a whole fruit. So I got it home, washed it and bite into it. It was nothing like I remembered. It was a bit hard and not as sweet as I expected. I was disappointed.

And then I remembered all those cooking shows where I have seen people grill fruits. It makes the fruit tender and wonderfully caramelized. So that’s the way I decided to go. The grilling did all that but something was still missing. So I decided to add the balsamic dressing. And oh boy, did it take the peaches to a whole new level! This is one of my favourite desserts now.



Grilled Peaches with Honey Balsamic Dressing

As this recipe was developed on the go, I don’t really remember the exact quantity of ingredients. But this is what you will need:

• Fresh peaches sliced into halves, pits removed
• Neutral oil like vegetable or sunflower oil
• Any kind of balsamic vinegar
• Honey
• Chilli flakes


Slice the peaches in halves and remove the pits. Brush them with some oil so they don’t stick to grill. I don’t have a grill but use a griddle pan. You can use a heavy bottomed normal non-stick pan too but then you won’t get the nice grill marks on the peaches. Grill the peaches for around 10 min per side so you get nice caramelization, and flip them when they look good and become tender. Let them cool down a bit before slicing them into smaller pieces.
While the peaches are cooling down, mix together some balsamic vinegar and honey. I used about 3 parts balsamic to 1 part honey. You can alter this according to your preference of sweetness. Once you have sliced the peaches toss them in the dressing. Sprinkle some chilli flakes on top before serving. The chilli flakes add a nice heat to the sweet and tangy dessert.

p.s. the next time I made this I removed the skin of the peaches. It comes off really easily after the peach has been grilled. The skin adds a slightly unpleasant texture otherwise.

Seared Lemon Pepper Salmon

At long last I have managed to stop procrastinating and start the food blog I have been thinking and talking about for ages! This blog will be mostly about my kitchen experiments, my favourite dishes and general food related activities happening around me.

As a Bong, my love for food is something I was born with. But in the last few years it has grown into a mild obsession and I have become a compulsive cook. Many a sleepless night is spent watching Food Network or Cooking Channel. Yes, I am addicted to cooking shows! And then inspiration strikes and experiments follow. I hardly follow recipes. I adapt them to whatever ingredients I have available at that time. Which is also the reason that even though I cook certain dishes again and again, they are never exactly the same. At times I add something on a whim and don’t even remember that the next time I make the dish. So hopefully this blog will act as a reminder for me too.

So anyway, here goes. The very first recipe from the Insomniac Cook.


Seared Lemon Pepper Salmon:



I love salmon! It tastes awesome and it’s healthy. Only thing is it’s quite expensive. So when I want to reward myself for a job well done, I make salmon. I like the natural flavour of salmon and try to keep it as simple as possible.

Seared Lemon Pepper Salmon is easy to make, requires very few ingredients and tastes really good.

You will need:

• 2 Salmon Fillet
• 1 large lemon
• 2 tablespoon cracked pepper
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt to taste


Heat up the pan to medium to high heat. Add enough olive oil just coat the pan. Season the salmon fillets with salt and cracked pepper on both sides. When the oil is hot enough add the salmon skin side up. Cook one side without disturbing it. You will know it’s done when it feels like the salmon will come off easily and then cook the other side. It will take around 5-6min on each side depending on the thickness of your fillet. When both sides are done, take out the salmon and let it rest. Add the juice of one lemon to the pan. Scrape up all the yummy bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add freshly cracked pepper and rest of the olive oil. Add a pinch of salt. Let it cook for around 5 min and your sauce is done. Put the salmon on the serving dish and pour the sauce over it.

You can have green beans and potato as sides with this. Even some garlic bread to soak up all that delicious sauce. I was in the mood for peas so I boiled some and tossed them with a touch of olive oil and salt-n-pepper.