I was first tempted to serve these with a dollop of crème fraîche, or vanilla ice cream, but I resisted because I didn't want to dilute their flavor, and I was right to do so, for the balance of flavors is perfect.
Muscovado sugar is a very dark, usually organic, unrefined sugar from Madagascar. If you can't find it, simply use dark brown sugar.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
1. Set a strainer over a bowl and cut the nectarines into the strainer, so their juice collects in the bowl.
Step 2
2. Heat the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot but not smoking, add the nectarines and sauté them until they sizzle and their juices reduce and begin to thicken, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over them and sauté until the juices further thicken and the sugar caramelizes slightly, about 1 minute. You may want to increase the heat under the pan to medium-high. Add the lemon juice and sauté until the juices thicken, then add any nectarine juice that collected in the bowl, and shake the pan so that all is well blended. Let the nectarines cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the juices are very thick, which will take a minute or so. The total cooking time will be about 6 minutes.
Step 3
3. Transfer the nectarines to 4 warmed dessert plates, or to a warmed serving dish, let sit for about 4 minutes so they are not blistering hot when served.
