SUMMER’S ABUNDANCE

Stone fruits sweeten the season.

By Sidney Carlisle

Photography by Greg Milano

One of summer’s benefits is the abundance of tree-ripened fruit at roadside stands and farmers’ markets. The selection varies from June until early September but usually includes peaches, cherries, apricots, nectarines, and plums. Designated as stone fruits, since they have only one pit, such varieties are high in fiber and potassium. They also are good sources of beta-carotene, the plant form of vitamin A. Naturally sweet, the fruits are low in calories because their water content is high. Any of these fruits may be eaten out-of-hand, without being peeled, and cooked fruits are used in both sweet and savory recipes.

For optimum flavor, stone fruits should be ripened on the tree, and locally grown fruits are the best bet in most areas. Since boxed fruit is picked green to withstand shipping, the taste is not the same.

Fruit that is too hard to eat may be placed in a paper bag at room temperature for a couple of days. The fruit will soften and the color might change, but the flavor and sweetness do not improve.

Storing stone fruits near a sunny window can cause shriveling, a common problem when the fruit is picked green.

What could be better than the sweet scent of a basket of ripe peaches on a summer afternoon? Turning them into a freezer of peach ice cream would certainly seem like a good place to start.

Writer Sidney Carlisle is a fan of any recipe that combines ripe Texas peaches with butter and sugar.


BING CHERRY CRISP
Tim Durand, executive chef at Aspen Glen Club in Carbondale, Colorado, serves this dessert warm, topped with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

  • 4 cups fresh Bing cherries

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon mace

  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1 tablespoon flour

  • 1/2 cup Simple Syrup (recipe follows)

  • Crisp Topping (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set it aside. Rinse the cherries and place on paper toweling to dry. Remove and discard the stems and cherry pits.

Whisk the cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and flour together in a saucepan. Add the Simple Syrup, stirring to combine. Heat until warm, but not boiling. Add the cherries, stirring gently. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the cherries are warm, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. The mixture should be slightly thickened but still juicy.

Pour the cherries in the baking dish and cover with the Crisp Topping. Bake about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and crispy.


SIMPLE SYRUP

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup water

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves and then let the mixture come to a boil. Boil about 1 minute, remove from the heat and cool before using.

 

CRISP TOPPING

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup flour

  • 1/2 cup oatmeal

  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

  • 6 tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces

Place brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, and pecans or walnuts in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add butter to the mixture. Place the lid on the processor and pulse briefly, until mixed but still chunky. Do not overmix.

 

RUSTIC NECTARINE TART WITH CRÈME ANGLAISE
Executive chef Joseph Occhipinti of Ipswich Country Club near Boston also prepares this tart using fresh plums or peaches.

To make rustic tart dough:

  • 1⁄2 pound unsalted butter, cold (2 sticks)

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

  • 1⁄4 cup superfine sugar

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

  • 1⁄4 cup ice water

Cut the butter into 1⁄2-inch cubes and refrigerate it for at least 10 minutes.

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter by hand, tossing quickly to coat each cube with flour and being careful to avoid touching the steel blade. (This step keeps the butter cubes separate.) Turn on the processor and immediately add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Process for about 10 seconds, stopping the machine before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, pressing any loose particles into the mass of dough. Form into a 7-inch disk. Wrap securely and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days.

To finish the tart:

  • 1⁄4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

  • 1⁄4 cup superfine sugar

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • Poached Nectarines (recipe follows)

  • Crème Anglaise (recipe follows)

  • sweetened whipped cream

  • powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. With your fingers, blend in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature about 5 minutes. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 13-inch to 15-inch circle or rectangle. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet. Slice the nectarine pieces in half and arrange over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the outside of the dough. Sprinkle with the flour/butter mixture. Turn the dough border over to enclose the sides of the tart, allowing the dough to drape gently over the fruit and leaving the center of the tart uncovered. Press down on the edge of the dough on the baking sheet, snugly securing the sides, without mashing the fruit. Gently pinch soft pleats along the draped edges of the dough.

Bake the tart until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before serving.

To serve, spoon Crème Anglaise onto a dessert plate. Place a wedge of the warm tart on the plate and add a dollop of whipped cream. Dust the plate with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Yield: About 10 servings.

 

POACHED NECTARINES

  • 6 nectarines

  • 1⁄4 cup red wine

  • 1 teaspoon orange zest

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

  • 3 cups water

  • 1 cup sugar

Split the nectarines in half and remove the pits. Blanch the fruit by dropping the halves into a pan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and transfer to a bowl of ice water. Slip off the peeling and discard it.

Bring the wine, both zests, water, and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the fruit and lower the heat to a simmer. Poach until tender when pierced with a knife, about 5 minutes. Lift the fruit from the pan and drain thoroughly.

Note: Peaches and plums may be poached using this same recipe.

 

CRÈME ANGLAISE

  • 2 cups heavy cream

  • 4 egg yolks

  • 1⁄4 cup sugar

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla

Scald the cream in a heavy saucepan. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until well blended. Add the hot cream in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. When all the cream has been incorporated, pour the mixture into a clean saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats a spoon, about 5 minutes. Do not allow it to boil. Immediately pour the custard through a fine strainer into a mixing bowl set over a bowl of ice. Stir several times to help the mixture cool. Add the vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, or up to 2 days.

 

FRESH PLUM RELISH
Executive chef Charles Phillips of the Tower Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, recommends this versatile relish as an accompaniment to halibut, sea bass, pork loin, chicken, or quail.

  • 14 fresh plums, pitted and cut in small dice

  • 1 medium red onion, peeled and finely diced

  • 1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro

  • 1⁄2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

  • 3⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar

  • 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons white truffle honey or white granulated sugar

  • salt and pepper

Combine the plums, onion, cilantro, almonds, vinegar, olive oil, and honey or sugar in a stainless steel bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the mixture into a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated and the relish has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate if not using immediately, covered with plastic wrap. To serve, allow the relish to come to room temperature.

Yield: About 4 cups.

 

CORIANDER CRUSTED GULF COAST SNAPPER WITH APRICOT-SERRANO SALSA
Dried apricots are an important part of the texture of this spicy salsa, advises executive chef Phil Bouza of Barton Creek in Austin, Texas.

APRICOT-SERRANO SALSA

  • 2 serrano chilies, seeded and finely minced

  • 3⁄4 cup julienne dried apricots

  • 1⁄4 cup minced red onion

  • 1 tablespoon minced green onion

  • 1⁄4 cup diced red bell pepper

  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves

  • juice of 1 orange

  • 1 teaspoon honey

  • salt and pepper

Combine the chilies, apricots, red and green onion, bell pepper, and mint in a stainless steel bowl. Add the orange juice and honey. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 30 minutes at room temperature, stirring once.

 

GULF COAST SNAPPER

  • 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds

  • 2 tablespoons panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (no stems)

  • 12 ounces Gulf Coast snapper fillet (or American red snapper), skin on

  • salt and pepper

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly toast the coriander seeds in a dry sauté pan until they become aromatic. Remove from the pan and finely grind in a clean coffee grinder. Combine the coriander, panko, and cilantro in a shallow bowl. Season the snapper with salt and pepper and dredge flesh-side down in the panko mixture.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the fish, breaded side down. Sear until golden brown and turn the fish over. Place the pan in the oven. Bake about 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, or until it flakes easily with a fork.

To serve, cut the fish into two portions and place on serving plates. Garnish with the Apricot-Serrano Salsa and serve immediately.

 

GEORGIA PEACH SUNDAE SERVED IN PECAN LACE COOKIE BOWLS
Tim Durand, executive chef of Aspen Glen Club in Carbondale, Colorado, garnishes this summer sundae with fresh berries.

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 4 peaches, peeled and sliced

  • 1⁄2 cup pure maple syrup

  • vanilla ice cream

  • Pecan Lace Cookie Bowls (recipe follows)

Melt the butter with the cinnamon in a sauté pan. Add the peaches and maple syrup and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the peaches are softened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve slightly warm.

To assemble the sundae, place a scoop of ice cream in a cookie bowl and pour about 2 tablespoons of the peaches over the top.

Yield: 8 servings.

 

PECAN LACE COOKIE BOWLS

  • 1-1⁄2 cups brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons flour

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla

  • 1⁄2 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray the paper lightly with nonstick spray. Set the baking sheet aside.

Combine the brown sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the butter, egg, vanilla, and pecans. Forming only two cookies at a time, spoon 1-1⁄2 tablespoons of batter onto the parchment. Use the back of the spoon to smooth the batter into a uniform circle, about 3-inch diameter. Bake about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for about 2 minutes. Pick up each cookie with a large spatula and drape over an upside-down 4-ounce custard cup. Use your fingers to gently shape the cookie over the bowl. Cool completely before removing from the mold. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Note: Chef Tim recommends making a couple of test cookies. The first one or two won’t be perfect, but the recipe yields enough batter for practice cookies. As the cookies begin to cool, they get hard. If the cookies get too hard to handle, rewarm in the oven for 1 minute and then shape.


BUYING SOURCES
Specialty fruits and related items that are difficult to acquire locally are available by direct shipment from producers. Call or visit online for a complete list of products.

CHERRIES — Chukar Cherry Company in Washington ships fresh Bing and Rainier cherries in season, plus a large assortment of dried cherries, chocolate covered cherries, pie fillings, preserves, and gift packs. 800.624.9544 or www.chukar.com.

CHERRY JUICE — Tart cherry juice concentrate from locally grown cherries is available by mail from King Orchards in Michigan. The company also harvests fresh cherries, peaches, and apricots. 877.937.5464 or www.kingorchards.com.

ORGANIC STONE FRUITS — Frog Hollow Farm in Brentwood, California, ships organic peaches, nectarines, cherries, apricots, and plums seasonally. The farm also ships premium chutneys, jams, and marmalades made on the premises in small batches. 888.779.4511 or www.froghollow.com.

SULPHUR-FREE APRICOTS — Organically grown, sulfur-free apricots are available from Timber Crest Farms in Sonoma County, California. Dried organic peaches and cherries are available, as well as canned and pitted French prunes. 888.374.9325 or www.timbercrest.com.

WHITE PEACHES — Lane Packing Company in Georgia ships white peaches in-season. An assortment of jams, jellies, preserves, gourmet butters, and syrups are shipped all year. 800.277.3224 or www.lanepacking.com.


ALL ABOUT STONE FRUITS

APRICOTS
Most of the apricots consumed in this country are grown in California, even though Turkey is the leading producer worldwide. The best known variety is the Blenheim, but both Pattersons and Royals are grown commercially. Harvested in June and July, apricots should be picked when ripe. A uniform golden color indicates the fruit will be sweet. While imported varieties are available during the winter, quality dried apricots may be a better choice for cooking or baking. Although some producers treat the dried fruit with sulfur dioxide to preserve the color, sulfur-free and organically grown apricots are available.

CHERRIES
Many varieties of both sweet and sour cherries are grown around the world, but only a few are harvested commercially. Sweet cherries are delightful to eat fresh and are available dried or canned. Familiar domestic varieties include Bing, Royal Ann, and Rainier. Sour cherries, also known as red tart or pie cherries, are seldom eaten raw but are popular for baking and preserving. Montmorency is the best-known tart variety and, while usually found dried or canned, fresh cherries are available in some areas. Choose cherries that are bright and glossy with the stems intact and wait to wash and pit the fruit until just before using. Cherries may be washed, dried, stemmed, pitted, and then frozen in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, place in a plastic freezer storage bag. Cherries appear to have some anti-inflammatory abilities, and the juice is used by believers to help treat arthritis. In addition, some nutritionists believe cherries neutralize uric acid in the body, thereby helping relieve the pain of those suffering from gout.

NECTARINES
Related botanically to peaches, nectarines have a smooth skin — the only real difference in the two fruits. Nectarines may be sweeter than peaches, if purchased ripe, but they are not usually as juicy. They may be substituted for peaches in almost any recipe.

PEACHES
No matter what the variety, peaches are categorized as either freestone or clingstone, depending on how easily the stone may be removed. The fruit is produced commercially in several states, with the season beginning near Memorial Day and continuing until the end of August. Ripe peaches bruise easily, and decay spreads rapidly, so gentle treatment is important. Peaches intended for shipment are always picked green and, once picked, will get softer and juicier, but not sweeter.

PLUMS
More than 100 varieties of plums are available in the United States with noticeable differences in size, color, flavor, and the amount of juice produced. Plums are classified into five main categories: American, Damson, European, Japanese, and ornamental. Plums usually are picked slightly under-ripe and will soften at room temperature. Like other stone fruits, once they are picked the flavor and sweetness won’t change. The skin of a plum is soft and sweet and recipes seldom require the fruit to be peeled. Commercially dehydrated plums are called prunes and observant shoppers will notice the packages are now marked dried plums, a marketing ploy possibly directed at younger consumers.