While
I look forward to a fresh crop of apples from our local orchards every fall, by
February we are over our desire to savor them.
Ditto for the pears. The same
hold true for oranges. How many apple
pies, apple-pear crumbles and pear clafoutis can we enjoy in a season? As summer begins the initial approach, these
fruits get pushed aside by an overwhelming desire for variety. The fruits of summer are bountiful, colorful,
juicy, sweet and refreshing. Like the
apples and pear of the season past, many of the summer fruits are perfect for
cooking; but chilled in their natural state promises a burst of cooling
freshness that never disappoints either.
Stone
fruits are the most abundant summer fruits.
These are so-called because they contain stones, or pits, in their
centers. Sorry Felix Unger, there are
pits, pits, pits in our fruit, fruit, fruit!
Luckily, these are single, hard stones that are usually easy to nibble
around or to remove when halving the fruit with a knife. Peaches, plums, apricots, cherries and
nectarines all qualify under the heading of stone fruits.
Peaches
and nectarines are at their peak throughout July and August. They look similar at a glance, but nectarines
have firmer flesh and a smooth yellow skin with red blushes. Peaches, also known as Persian apples after
their place of origin, sport a light fuzz on their skins and the color can
range from off-white to golden yellow with blush marks that range from pink to
deep scarlet. To hasten the ripening of
a batch of unripened peaches, place them in a paper bag with an apple, prick
holes in the bag and then store the bag at room temperature for two days. Apples release ethylene gas, which speeds up
the ripening process. This trick works
splendidly with avocados too.
Apricots
are an ancient fruit of China, now cultivated in the United States. Enjoy apricots when you see them in the
market because their peak season is fleeting, usually throughout the month of
June. Apricots are relatives of
peaches. They also bear a velvety skin,
but they are smaller than peaches and their smoother stones fall right out when
the fruits are halved. Apricots range in
color from, well, what we perceive as ‘peach’ on a color chart to an amber tone
of orange. Apricots are highly perishable;
they ripen extremely quickly. Use them
or you’ll lose them.
Plums
are also smaller than a peach. They have
very smooth skins that span a rainbow of hues.
The most commonly found plums in our markets are either a
blackish-purple or a deep crimson red variety.
However, plums also some in green, blue and yellow. Some varieties of plum are purposely grown to
be dried and then marketed in their new incarnation that we know as
prunes. Fresh plums can be enjoyed from
June through October.
If
apple pie is a cold season American dessert icon, then cherry pie takes over
the honor during the warmer months.
Cherries are popular fruits that are enjoyed most out of hand. Cherry blossom tree displays, such as that
found in Washington D.C., draw thousands of tourists every spring to view the
stunning show that mimics huge clouds of pink cotton candy. Backyard cherry trees are invaded by kids at
the start of summer vacation who climb up, take a seat on a branch and feast on
the freshest possible cherries until they are too full to join the family
dinner table. I know firsthand, I did it
too. Through most of the summer, the
market bins are bursting with Bing cherries and Rainier cherries to be enjoyed
in pies and cakes, transformed into jams and jellies or simply packed into
Tupperware containers to tote along on a beach day or picnic excursion.
Mangoes
also contain stones, but they are not easy to remove neatly by any means and
mangoes must be peeled. After peeling a
mango with a vegetable peeler, the flesh must be carved off of the stone. The stone sits roughly in the center, but
because it is oval and flat, it's hard to guess when the blade of the knife if
going to stop in mid-cut. The best plan
of attack is to lob a quarter inch to a half-inch off of each end of the
mango after peeling it. These two cuts
will serve two purposes: it should reveal the very tip of the stone, giving you
an idea of where to make the next cuts.
They will also now provide a flat end on which to stabilize the
slippery, rounded fruit on the cutting board.
Next, look for the revealed end of the pit. Line the blade of the knife next to the
length of the pit and cut all the way down.
Repeat this step on the other side of the pit. The final step will be to carve the remaining
sides off of the pit. There is always
some waste with a mango since the stone can never be stripped bare, so plan on
one whole mango per person. Once you
dispose of the pit, the fruit that is left behind isn't always attractive since
some of it has been somewhat mutilated.
For that reason, cut the flesh into chunks and either consume them as is
for breakfast, add them to the blender for a smoothie or heap them into a fruit
salad.
Peaches,
plums, apricots and nectarines can all be eaten with their skins. Halve the fruits and the pits can usually be
pried out without too much fuss. From
there, cut the halves into wedges to toss in salads or stir-fries. Halved apricots make a perfect final addition
to Moroccan chicken tagines. Any of
these fruits can be halved and then threaded onto skewers with shellfish or
poultry. For a change of pace from rich
and heavy desserts, brush some halved peaches and plums with melted butter and
grill them. Once they exhibit their
grill marks and the flesh has begun to caramelize, drizzle the cut sides with
more melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar before serving. An accompaniment of vanilla ice cream never
hurt either. Pineapple also grills well
in this manner.
Since
we all enjoy our rich and heavy desserts at least on occasion, cherries are by
far the best ingredients of all fruits for conjuring a clafoutis. It's so simple to make that it serves as my summertime go-to when I need a quick dessert whipped up for a last-minute social gathering. I serve my very appreciative husband at least
one cherry-almond clafoutis every summer.
Peach pie is perpetual summer dessert favorite across the nation, especially when a
second summer fruit such as cherries, blackberries or raspberries are included
in the pastry shell.
If
you reside near a farm stand or farmer's market, support your local growers by
turning to them to load up on these fruits.
The flavors are at their peak of freshness. Some farms offer shoppers the option of
picking your own peaches. On a hot day,
nothing beats the simple refreshment of biting into farm fresh peach that grew
as large as a softball, its sweet juices dripping. This highlights one of summer's healthy
pleasures, so go ahead; take a bite, but watch for pits.
Here
are two summer desserts that use stone fruit.
They are both easy to make and can be prepared ahead, allowing more time to spend on the
beach and less time in the kitchen.
Cherry Clafoutis
Ingredients:
2
cups halved and pitted fresh cherries
1 ½
cups sugar
½
cup butter, melted
1
cup flour
4
tablespoons vegetable oil
2
eggs
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
1
teaspoon almond extract
Confectioners
sugar for dusting
Preheat
oven to 325-degrees. Grease a glass pie
dish. Lay the cherries on the entire
bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the
cherries with ½ cup of the sugar. In a
mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of sugar, the melted butter,
vegetable oil, eggs and the vanilla and almond extracts until the ingredients
are well combined. Pour the batter into
the pie dish, covering the cherries.
Bake the clafoutis for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden. Allow to cool completely at room
temperature. Before serving, sprinkle
the top with the confectioners sugar.
Peach and Almond Bars with Mascarpone Cream
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter,
melted
2-3 peaches, ripe
but still slightly firm
½ cup sliced almonds
2 8-ounce containers
mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
extract
1 cup cream
1 ½ tablespoons
sugar
First, prepare the
peaches. Fill a large pot with water and
bring to a boil. Using a sharp knife,
score an ‘X’ into the skin on the pointed end of each peach. Place the peaches
in the boiling water and leave them to boil for one minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peaches
into a large bowl filled with ice water and allow them to sit for one minute. Starting from the scored ‘X,’ the skins
should peel off of the peaches relatively easily. Once the peaches have been peeled, halve each
one and remove the pit. Then slice each
peach half into ½-inch slices. This can
be done the day before, if desired; store the prepped peaches in an air-tight
container in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to
350-degrees. Grease a square baking pan.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the
eggs, sugar, flour and butter until well combined.
Spread one-third of
the batter over the bottom of the baking pan.
Top that layer with one-half of the sliced peaches. Sprinkle with one-half of the sliced
almonds. Repeat these steps, ending with
the final third portion of the batter on top.
Bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool at room temperature, then cut
into 9 bars.
In the bowl of an
electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the mascarpone, cream,
vanilla extract and 1 ½ tablespoons of sugar until well combined and smooth. When the whisk is lifted from the bowl, the
mixture should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon form. Keep the mixture chilled until serving time.
Place a bar on each
dessert plate, pour some of the mascarpone cream over each bar and serve.
