It’s summer time! Whether or not you’re in or open air, hopefully for all of you there are stunning summer time fruits and berries available, and I hope that you simply’re capable of get your palms on as lots of them as you’ll be able to. I’m loading (really, overloading…) myself up on the market. Whereas an excellent portion on the contemporary fruit will get eaten simply as-is, a few of it goes into the next dessert recipes that I proceed to make yr after yr. Others go into jam, which is an effective way to protect all these summer time fruits and berries, and make them final by means of fall and winter.
Cherry season is behind most of us (sniff…sniff…), but when they’re nonetheless lingering the place you reside, you’ll be able to kind “cherry” or “cherries” into the search engine on the prime proper nook of the web page to seek out cherry recipes. (And we don’t get a bountiful array of contemporary raspberries and blackberries right here, so I don’t have many recipes that use them on the weblog.) However for nectarines, strawberries, peaches, plums and different summer time fruits, listed here are a few of my favourite recipes on the weblog…
Summer time Fruit Galette with Frangipane
I’ve seen so many galettes this yr on social media, that it’s tempting to already name galettes The Dessert of the Yr. (Okay, there have been loads of Banana Breads as nicely. And it’s laborious to knock Banana Bread, even my low(er) fats one.) However for the bang-for-the-buck, it’s laborious to beat the silly-easy galette, made with a fail-safe dough that will get rolled out, topped with contemporary fruit, and baked till ripe ‘n prepared. Mine has a layer of frangipane beneath the fruit to maintain a few of these juices away from the underside crust, so it stays crisp. It additionally tastes good, too! Apricots work particularly nicely on this one however you should use nectarines, plums, peaches, or…
…rhubarb and strawberries! Sure, the traditional combo works nicely as a galette, too. However don’t let custom stand in the way in which of deliciousness and you may swap out cherries, raspberries, or blackberries for the strawberries.
After I was a prepare dinner in upstate New York again within the Nineteen Eighties (!) I keep in mind somebody introduced us a (as in 1) basket of contemporary apricots from California, which I’d by no means seen earlier than. I made a easy tart with them and solely eight fortunate clients might get a style of it. (Or possibly I minimize it into ten?) Quick-forward to immediately, summer time brings a cavalcade of contemporary apricots to the markets and towards the top of the season, I don’t have time to shed any tears as I’m piling apricot jam into pots, to save lots of them for the approaching months. It’s Romain’s favourite jam so I make certain there’s sufficient to maintain him blissful, as a result of I’ve discovered what occurs after I don’t : 0
Summer time Fruit Tart (with frangipane)
One other summer time fruit favourite, sure, with extra almond cream than the galettes above, that is that traditional French tart that you simply’ll discover in lots of pastry outlets all yr spherical, utilizing all the things from pears to pineapple. Don’t love almonds, or wish to take it in a distinct course? Substitute the almonds with hazelnuts for a particular deal with.
Whereas apricots are Romain’s favourite for jam, I’m 100% on group plum. The luscious tang of juicy plum, and the excessive pure pectin content material, makes this one of many best jams to make. And it’s not too tough to eat, both.
Whereas I miss the purple Santa Rose and Elephant Coronary heart plums we obtained in California, France has its personal particular number of delectable plums, together with Mirabelles, quetsches, and even wild plums. Whereas the wild plum timber that we used to choose/glean from have been pruned by the absentee homeowners (phooey!) we discovered one other supply final summer time. And the one factor higher than free plums is free wild plums, which are available in an array of snazzy colours and are further tangy, excellent for these of us that like some pucker in our pastries.
The cousin of clafoutis, this flaugnarde includes a jumble of plums baked in a silky custard. They’re so fairly I nearly hate to bake them. However then, after I pull it out of the oven, I’m blissful to have a fantastic baked gratin dish of custardy plums for dessert on a heat summer time evening.
Two tart fruits come collectively, baked beneath a buttery blanket of streusel. If these two bedfellows can be found on the similar time the place you reside, you’re doubly fortunate!
The elusive Mirabelle plums have a cult-like following and whereas some mistakenly assume they aren’t accessible within the U.S. (they had been briefly banned a number of years in the past), when you’re fortunate, you’ll be able to certainly discover them. They’re intensely flavored and sweeter than different plums, and make a beautiful confiture with jewel-like fruits suspended in a shimmering jelly, that are beautiful heaped on toast within the morning. (If you wish to get a style of Mirabelles however can’t discover them, Bonne Maman makes a golden plum Mirabelle jam that’s exported from France.)
Whereas I wasn’t a fan of Angel Meals Cake rising up, which my mom often made to accompany strawberries, I grew to become a convert as a grown-up. Maybe it needed to do with writing an ice cream e book and having an overload of egg whites to make use of up. (And Angel Meals Cake is an categorical path to doing that.) Nonetheless it’s a deal with together with summer time fruits and berries, both baked as a compote or contemporary, tossed in a little bit sugar and maybe a splash of crème de cassis. The spongy cake is a perfect solution to be sure you get each drop of the fruit syrup that’s surrounding the ethereal slab. It’s French cousin, Gâteau de savoie, is equally fulfilling, and doesn’t require an Angel Meals Cake pan.
Roasted Strawberry Miso Ice Cream
Roasting strawberries is lesser-known method of coaxing out their taste, however works nicely when making ice cream because it concentrates them and lowered the water, so the ice cream stays creamier. Including a contact of salty miso supplies a curious distinction to the berries juicy sweetness, and a little bit umami besides.
When you make the (very) simple base for this Strawberry Spritz, you should use it to make Strawberry Margaritas, too. (And when you’ve obtained a hankering for a traditional Spritz, I’ve obtained you lined there, too.) However this Spritz is a good, gentle apéritif to get pleasure from all season lengthy. I used to be consuming a number of these a number of weeks in the past when strawberries had been at their peak. In the event that they accessible the place you reside, go infuse some in vermouth blanc for an important spring/summer time sipper.
Spiced Plum Cake with Toffee Glaze
Toffee glaze is a type of issues you could possibly placed on an previous sneaker, and it will make these dilapidated Reeboks style nice. Even higher (and extra really useful) is that this spiced plum cake, which isn’t too wealthy or too candy. Crunchy toasted almonds on prime are a pleasant distinction to the buttery glaze.
Peach Shortcakes with Butterscotch Sauce
Talking of buttery sauces, butterscotch with peaches is a pure. Grammar-correct retains asking me: A pure what? However I feel you’ll be able to determine that out. If not, give them a attempt collectively and also you’ll see what I’m speaking about.
For those who’re lucky sufficient to have a peach tree or can get a few of the leaves, they lend a fragile almond-like taste to this intriguing apéritif wine. I attempt to make a number of bottles yearly and serve chilled glasses because the season’s change, reminding me of summer time, and reminding me that the sunshine almond taste of peach leaves in wine is one thing to placed on my calendar for the next yr.
Peaches and bourbon are pure companions, they usually don’t thoughts sharing house in a glass with the traditional French apéritif, Bonal. However to not fear when you don’t have it; I supply some substitutes that you simply would possibly have already got in your liquor shelf. This cocktail isn’t simply fairly, it’s additionally a fairly efficient solution to beat the warmth. (Yup, nectarines or plums might exchange the peaches, when you’re so inclined.)
A classic steel popsicle mould that was a discover at a flea market prompted these summer time ‘sicles. You possibly can load ’em up with berries and since I used white nectarines, the popsicles had been extra-pretty in pink. However anybody would say “sure” to them in yellow, when you go along with commonplace nectarines.
Blended berry something robotically makes one thing my favourite dessert. I really like, love, love the juicy tumble of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, crimson currants, or no matter else you’ve obtained. Convey the berries on!
Whereas I’m nostalgic for the overload of blueberries that I grew up with New England, after I do discover myrtilles, I attempt to maintain them as near their pure state as potential. Topped with crumbly drop biscuits, all that’s wanted is a scoop of vanilla ice cream to finish the image, however white chocolate-fresh ginger ice cream would even be welcome…and appreciated, on this cobbler.
Mango Frozen Yogurt with Blueberry Compote
Whereas everybody’s thoughts is on peaches and nectarines, don’t neglect mangoes, their tropical counterpart, which go simply as nicely with summer time berries. Blueberries significantly come to thoughts however raspberries and strawberries might fill in for them.
With fairly swirls of crispy meringue, this tangy frozen yogurt may be a part of a composed dessert, which I wish to serve in the summertime, being beneficiant with the contemporary fruit…and filling within the blanks with frozen yogurt and meringues.
Blueberry Buckle with Lemon Syrup
I don’t know if blueberries get any higher than on this buckle, which do certainly “buckle” beneath the burden of just about too many blueberries…if that’s even potential. A dousing with tart lemon syrup retains issues moist and tangy. You possibly can skip the cream with this one. It’s nice by itself.
