When I first approached Dan about this month’s Weekend Project, he was … less than thrilled. “Great, what are we going to call this? This Recipe’s the Pits! Cooking with Cyanide! Don’t you just throw them away or plant trees with this sort of rubbish?” But after a little bit of research, even this most hardened critic was convinced of the power of pit.
Stone fruits are those late-summer delicacies like peaches, plums, pluots, apricots, cherries, and nectarines that have a hard pit protecting the seed inside. Though most people throw the pits, or kernels, in the trash, they can actually be used as flavorful ingredients. In fact, most almond extract is not made from almonds, but from the seeds found inside apricot pits.
So what’s this talk of cyanide? Raw pits contain a chemical called amygdalin, which breaks down with water in your stomach and produces hydra-cyanide. However, you would have to consume more than 10 whole, raw peach pits to produce just 100 milligrams of actual cyanide (Kudos if your jaws are actually strong enough to achieve that!). But simply cooking the pits breaks down the amygdalin and renders the kernel harmless.
I first ran across a recipe for Stone Fruit Soup inspired by Jean-Georges Vongerichten (the New York chef responsible for the chocolate flourless cake craze) about 15 years ago. The seemed like an elegant, simple dish that would be fun to serve to friends coming over dinner, not to mention an excellent conversation piece. But I never quite found the time (caring for infant twins will do that), and for years, I diligently saved cherry pits in a little bowl, only to throw them out with all the other stone fruit pits. Oh, how we were missing out!
None of these recipes are complicated or that time consuming, and the more people get involved in the kitchen (kids and guests make excellent pitters), the more fun everyone has. Just make sure to have extra stone fruit on hand; not every peach or cherry is going to find its way to the mixing bowl.
To harvest the almond, nutty flavors of larger stone fruits or the rosy, spicy flavors of the smaller cherry pits, you simply simmer, then steep them overnight in water, milk or even cream. Roast them the next day, then take your favorite whacking implement (we used vice grips, but feel free to improvise with a nutcracker, hammer or pliers) and get cracking! These roasted shells and the seeds inside can be used for any number of applications, as demonstrated with this sundae, or even homemade amaretto.
This dessert is perfect for a hot August night with flavors of honey, thyme, rose and almond accentuating the rich notes of ripe summer stone fruits. Just ladle a bowl of Stone Cherry Soup, top with a scoop of Bourbon Peach Sorbet and garnish with the Mahlab Tart Cookies. It’s the perfect example of that age-old adage: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Bon appetite!
The Shopping List* 7 to 8 large, ripe peaches
8 oz. vodka
1 lb. cherries
1 cup honey
3 to 4 lemons
2 cups strawberries
2 cups blueberries, blackberries or raspberries
Mint leaves
3 Tbsp. bourbon
1 tsp. ground mahlab*
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
*This list assumes you have salt, flour, 1 stick of butter and sugar. If not, you will need to purchase these, too. The Gameplan Day 1: Start the Peach Pit Tincture.
Day 2: Finish the Peach Pit Tincture. Make the Cherry Stone Soup. Make the Mahlab Tart Cookies.
Day 3: Make the Bourbon Peach Sorbet.
Peach Pit Tincture Makes 8 ounces
1 quart water
1 cup peach pits (about 7 to 8 large pits)
8 oz. vodka
• Day 1: Bring the water and pits to a simmer in a large saucepot over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight to steep.
• Day 2: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Strain the peach pits; reserve 3 tablespoons of the steeping liquid for Bourbon Peach Sorbet (recipe follows).
• Rinse the poached pits and spread them evenly on a baking sheet. Roast 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Use a nut cracker, hammer or pliars to crack open the pits by pressing down on the pointed end to crack it open. Remove the seeds and reserve for another use.
• Fill a pint jar with the vodka and add the cracked pits. Let soak at least overnight and up to several weeks. Use for Peach Bourbon Sorbet and Mahlab Tart Cookies (recipes follow).
Cherry Stone Soup Adapted from a Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe 6 servings
1 lb. cherries
2 cups water
½ cup honey
2 cups strawberries, cored and sliced
2 cups blueberries, blackberries or raspberries
6 Tbsp. lemon juice
Mint leaves for garnish
? Day 1: Pit the cherries, reserving the pits and stems. Set the fruit aside.
? Place the pits in a large zip-top bag. Crack the pits open with a hammer or the bottom of a cast-iron skillet.
? Pour the cracked pits into a large saucepan with the stems, water and honey. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam as it forms. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes.
? Strain the liquid into another bowl; discard the stems and pits. Return the liquid to the stove over medium heat and add the cherries. Cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
? Add the berries and lemon juice to the cherry soup. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors meld.
? Day 2: Serve the soup with Bourbon Peach Sorbet. Garnish with mint leaves and Mahlab Tart cookies.
Mahlab Tart Cookies Makes 20 cookies
1½ cups flour
½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cubed
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground mahlab*
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsp. ice-cold peach pit tincture (recipe above) or water
? Day 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
? In the bowl of a food processor or a large mixing bowl, add the flour, butter, salt, sugar, mahlab and thyme. Pulse or cut in the ingredients until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal with pea-sized or smaller chunks of butter.
? Add the honey and the peach pit tincture. Mix until the dough just begins to stick together. Dump the dough onto a floured surface and form it into a 4-inch round. Wrap in plastic and freeze 15 to 20 minutes.
? Roll out the dough onto a floured to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter and place on the baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are golden.
? Remove cookies onto a rack and let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container. Serve with Bourbon Peach Sorbet and Cherry Stone Soup.
*Mahlab can be found at Penzey’s Spices.
Bourbon Peach Sorbet Makes 1 quart
5 peaches (or 3 cups fresh peach puree)
¼ cup honey
1/3 cup lemon juice (juice of 3 to 4 lemons)
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. peach kernel tincture (recipe above) or almond extract
3 Tbsp. reserved peach pit tincture steeping liquid (recipe above) or water
3 Tbsp. bourbon
? Day 2: Pit and quarter the peaches; reserve the pits. Place the peach flesh in the bowl of a food processor and purée.
? If using an ice cream maker, pour the purée, honey, lemon juice, salt, tincture and peach pit water into the machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
? If not using an ice cream maker, pour the puree, honey, lemon juice, salt, tincture and peach pit steeping liquid into an 8-by-8-inch casserole dish and freeze 1 hour. Use a fork to stir the purée until the texture is uniform. Return the sorbet to the freezer. Continue to stir every hour for 4 to 5 hours, until the sorbet is set.
? Before serving, add the bourbon and mix well. Serve atop Cherry Stone Soup and garnish with Mahlab Tart Cookies.
-photos by Michelle Volansky
This article appears in August 2014.