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Stone fruits go savory
• by Anne Cori
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If I had to choose one taste of summer, it’d have to be stone fruits: peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots. Right now those fruits are at their peak of flavor – a fact that’s particularly welcome this year, after last year’s disastrous freeze that destroyed most of the fruit tree crops.
The succulent flavor of stone fruits makes them delicious raw, of course, and they also shine in pies, tarts, crisps, brown bettys, buckles and cobblers. But don’t limit these summertime stars to snacks or desserts. Fresh fruit seasoned with vinegar, salt and pepper is wonderful on a salad (fresh peaches, cucumbers and arugula is a particularly tasty combo) or as an accompaniment to meats and cheeses. I recommend using either balsamic or sherry vinegar to complement the fruit.
Roasting or grilling stone fruits will bring out delicious caramelized flavors. To roast fruit, peel and pit peaches or nectarines. Simply pit apricots and plums; their skin is too difficult to remove. Cut the fruit into uniform pieces (halves or quarters, depending on the size of the fruit, work well), toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and season very well with salt and pepper. Don’t crowd the fruit in the pan so that they will nicely brown and not steam. Roast at 425 degrees until browned and softened, about 15 minutes.
To grill stone fruits, cut the fruit in half and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place the fruit cut-side down on a medium-hot grill for a few minutes, then turn once. The firm flesh of fresh apricots is more suited to direct grilling than peaches; a ripe peach is too soft to grill well. But if a grilled peach is what you really want, use a cedar plank to achieve a smoky taste without losing the fruit down the grill.
Regardless of whether the fruit is going into a salad, condiment or baked dessert, ginger is the perfect spice to add; the flavor synergy of stone fruits and ginger is unbeatable. Luckily, ginger is available is multiple formats. Ground ginger can be added to vinaigrettes or peach pie, crystallized ginger can be used in chutneys, and freshly-grated ginger adds a zing to a fruit salsa for fish. Peach ice cream tastes better with ginger snaps. Candied ginger spread, which is a puréed version of crystallized ginger, is delicious spooned on top of roasted or grilled peaches or apricots.
If you got carried away at the market and purchased way too many fruits to eat before they become overripe, I recommend making chutney. Peel, pit and chop the fruit into a small dice and place in a saucepan. For every 4 cups of fruit, add 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup vinegar. Season the fruit with chopped onion, minced garlic, grated fresh ginger, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for an hour. Different stone fruits vary widely in sweetness, so be sure to taste the chutney and add more sugar if desired. Chutneys will keep in the refrigerator for months, and the sweet-tart tang is delicious on all meats, cheeses and vegetables. I love apricot chutney smeared on goat cheese or a plum chutney condiment with roasted pork.
This simple peach chutney recipe takes an ordinary cheese-and-cracker hors d’oeuvre and makes it memorable.
Anne Cori, a certified culinary professional, has taught cooking classes for more than 15 years at Kitchen Conservatory.
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