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Inside Market Hall

Stone Fruit Scorpacciata

11 August 2010

Mid-summer is the apex of stone fruit season and this is the time to revel in their juicy sweetness.  Peaches, plums, pluots, apricots and cherries are all plentiful, inexpensive and at their most flavorful in the summer months.

Yes, we'll grant you that most of these fruits are best eaten raw and unadorned. Anyone who's ever had the juice from a perfect peach run down their chin can attest to that. But to truly revel in the season, to partake in scorpacciata, you have to be ready to put in a little work in the kitchen.

Sweet as a peach...

There really is no beating the flavor of a good peach, and conversely, nothing so disappointing as a bad peach. Fear not, this is the time to enjoy a bounty of good, ripe peaches. Keeping it simple and balancing their sweet flavor is key...

  • Make a simple chestnut honey ice cream (we mentioned this recipe last week and it was incredible with this honey) top a scoop with sliced peaches. The bittersweet flavor of the honey is a marvel.
  • Halve a few peaches and remove the stone. Brush with a scant amount of vegetable oil and grill for 3 - 4 minutes. Top with a bit of mascarpone scented with White Ginger Syrup.
  • Lots of recipes from the American South call for combining peach preserves and mustard, but we like to do one better! Make a zesty dressing with Madras Curry Mustard and sherry vinegar and toss with roasted chicken breast, peaches, radicchio and scallions. This colorful and delicious main course salad is perfect for picnics.
  • Two best friends - peaches and arugula. Brush grilled bread with the best extra virgin olive oil and top with a arugula and sliced peaches. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with Maldon salt.

Just plum good...

  • Jammin' - plums are one of the simplest fruits to turn into jam.  You don't need pectin or gelatin. Just cook down  2 parts of peeled fruit for 5 minutes with a vanilla bean, add 1 part sugar and cook for 20 minutes or until the mixture is reduced to a thick syrupy consistency. Remove the vanilla bean and cool. Enjoy!
  • In a small pan, reduce a cup of 3-Year balsamic vinegar by half. Then add 2 tablespoons of sugar and whisk to combine. Brush onto halved and pitted plums and roast in a hot oven for 10 minutes or until warm and just caramelized. Serve with vanilla ice cream and toasted almonds.
  • Make your favorite crumb topping and add a little freshly ground cardamom to it. Toss your plums with a little orange blossom water, sugar and flour and top with the crumb topping. Voila! Middle-Eastern Plum Crumble!
  • Plum Turnovers - using store-bought puff pastry, fill squares with sliced plums, minced candied ginger and a little pinch of sugar and fold into triangles. Once sealed, bake for 20 minutes at 400.

Life is just a bowl of...

Cherries are one of the few fruits you really can't get fresh unless they're in season...

  • Yuzu Cherry Compote - in a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 TBS of Yuzu juice (or Yuzu marmalade) and cook down to a syrup, about 8 minutes.     Add 1 pound of pitted cherries and cook for about 5 minutes over a low simmer.  They'll break down slightly - at which point you can stop. If you want something less chunky, keep cooking! Enjoy over ice cream, pound cake or yogurt.
  • Cook 1 pound of cherries, 1/2 cup of red wine, 1/2 cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar down in a saucepan over medium-high heat until you've got a syrupy consistency. Serve this compote over panna cotta or a slice of chocolate cake.
  • Add maple syrup to a vanilla ice cream base and churn. Serve with fresh cherries.
  • Make a Three-Cherry Pie with fresh, dried tart and Amarena cherries!

"Filmishmish"

This Arabic expression means "when the apricots bloom"...it's an Arabic version of "when pigs fly", because the season for apricots is achingly short! This is also why dried apricots tend to outnumber fresh in the market...

What's the lesson here? Get 'em while the gettin's good!

  • Apricot Almond Tart - Roll out pie dough and place into a tart pan. In a food processor, buzz together marzipan and an egg white to form a smooth paste. Spread on the dough and top with halved apricots (cut-side down) and bake for 35 - 45 minutes.
  • Halve some apricots and place them in a roasting pan. Dot with butter and Muscovado sugar and roast for 30 - 45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes or so. Serve with ice cream or yogurt.
  • Halve apricots and grill until slightly softened. Drizzle with mugolio and serve with crème fraiche
  • In a bowl, toss together quartered apricots, peaches, toasted almonds and a few spoonfuls of Pomegranate Blood Orange Syrup.