In the kitchen

Simple summer fruit desserts

By: Faith Bahadurian – Special Writer
This is the perfect time of year for summer fruit desserts. Peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots are in the markets. You might also find some local late-season berries at the farmstand, but even those from elsewhere seem to have extra flavor.
Most of the summer was so hot that my idea of a peach dessert has been limited to simply leaning over the sink and eating one. But now we’re getting cooler weather, so I’m willing to turn on the stove, and maybe even the oven, to take advantage of late summer fruit.
I recently eased into this when I had a few peaches (New Jersey peaches, of course!) that absolutely, positively had to be used up that evening. My eyes also fell upon a partially consumed bottle of Muscadelle, a sweet dessert wine that I’d had sitting around far too long.
Before you could say excusez-moi, those peaches were halved, pitted, and simmering away in the French wine. I threw in a few green cardamom pods and some pink peppercorns, and once the peaches were tender, I removed them, reduced the syrup, then strained it over the peaches. I didn’t even bother with whipped cream or yogurt that evening, but the poached plum recipe, below, will make doing so worth the extra trouble.
I love fresh apricots, maybe because of my Armenian heritage, and when I see fresh ones in the market in the summer, I can’t resist. The small rosy-hued ones from Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva, N.Y., are especially scrumptious, but if you find larger apricots, give the Arabic recipe, below, a try. The recipe calls for 13 apricots, which I thought was strange until I realized it was likely so each guest could have two, and no one would have to take the last one, a lovely solution to a question of etiquette.
Scandinavian food is trendy, and another easy-to-pull-together dessert is the Kropsua, an eggy Finnish dessert pancake, below, that you’ve maybe also enjoyed for brunch. It takes to almost any fruit you have on hand, just cut the fruit up and lightly sweeten, if desired, during the baking. Some versions have a lot of butter in them, but this one uses a lick of vegetable oil, instead, so I would be sure to use whole milk. No fruit on hand? Use jam or preserves instead, especially if you’ve just put up some of your own.
PLUMS IN PORT WITH CLOVE CREAM Adapted from "Mediterranean Flavors, California Style," Cindy Mushet, Scribner, 2000 Serves 4.
2 cups tawny port
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 vanilla bean, split
1-3/4 pounds firm-ripe plums
Clove cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Halve and pit each plum, then cut each half into 2 or 3 wedges. Place the port, sugar, spices and vanilla bean in a medium sauce pan, bring to a low boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add plums, bring the mixture back to a boil, then turn heat to low and poach plums for 6 to 12 minutes, or just until softened and are easily pierced with the tip of a small knife.
Remove from heat, lift out plums, and place in bowl to cool. Return pan to medium heat and reduce liquid by half, to about 1 cup. Cool to room temperature, then pour over plums. Store in a covered container in refrigerator until needed.
Use electric mixer to whip cream, sugar, and cloves on medium speed to soft peaks. Do not over whip. Divide plums between serving dishes and top with cream.
BADEMLI KAYISI (Baked Apricots Stuffed with Almond Paste) From "The New Book of Mid dle Eastern Food," Claudia Roden, Knopf, 2003 Serves 6.
13 large ripe but firm apricots
1 cup blanched almonds
1/2 cup superfine sugar
3 tablespoons rose water
Make a slit in each apricot and remove pit.
Blend the almonds, sugar, and rose water to a soft paste in the food processor. Take lumps the size of a small walnut and roll them into balls. Push them into the apricot slits, and press the apricots to squeeze the filling gently.
Arrange the stuffed fruits on a heatproof dish and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until they have softened a little. Keep an eye on them, and remove if they start to fall apart too quickly. Serve hot or cold.
KROPSUA From "Jim Fobel’s Old-Fash ioned Baking Book," Ballantine, 1987 6 servings.
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
Vegetable oil to brush baking pan
Fresh berries or fruit, sweetened if desired, or jam or preserves
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Place a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or a 9-inch cake pan in the oven and heat for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar and salt. Whisk in milk and then flour to make a smooth batter. Remove the hot pan from the oven and quickly brush with vegetable oil to coat lightly.
Pour in the batter all at once and bake about 30 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. When removed from the oven, the pancake will collapse immediately. Sift confectioner’s sugar over the top and serve hot with the berries, fruit, or preserves.
Read Faith Bahadurian’s blog at www.packetinsider.com/blog/njspice (also www.twitter.com/njspice).