Berries are not the only lover of summer – stone fruits are sitting pretty, too. From cherries to peaches to mangoes, stone fruits can be used to prepare sweet chutneys and jams to tart marinades and herby salads.
Stone fruit season runs from late spring through mid to late summer and into early Autumn. Fresh stone fruits are a great healthy snack. You can eat them on their own, turn them into a fruit salad or smoothie, or pair them with cheese.
Here are three stone fruit recipes that you can try this summer.
Stone fruit frangipani bake
Ingredients
Frangipani
100g ground almonds
70g sifted flour
80g icing sugar
80g salted butter
2 eggs
5 tbsp strawberry jam
4 white nectarines
2 yellow nectarines
2 white peaches
1 tbsp icing sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
To make the frangipani, mix all the dry ingredients first in a bowl.
Beat the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients, then the eggs and mix well.
Line a 25x10 cm baking dish with butter, place half the frangipani mix inside then a layer of strawberry jam and then the rest of the frangipani mix.
Slice the fruit into thin slices and arrange on top, lastly sprinkle with icing sugar and bake for 30-45 minutes at 170°C.
Recipe by Nirit Saban.
Charred stone fruit with bay leaf cream
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 bay leaf
907g assorted stone fruits (nectarine, plum, peach), washed, halved, and pitted
Flaky sea salt, for garnish (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil, for garnish
Method
Combine the cream, sugar, and bay leaf over medium heat; as soon as the mixture starts to bubble at the edges, remove from heat.
Cool to room temperature, then discard the bay leaf.
Wash the fruit, cut in half, and remove the pits. Do not peel.
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet or grill pan on high heat. Place the halved fruit, cut sides down, on the hot surface.
Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until you see the fruit begin to release moisture.
Lift carefully to check the char level. It should be dark brown, not black.
Remove each piece as soon as it is done. Meanwhile, pour the bay-infused cream into a mixing bowl; whisk just long enough to form soft peaks.
Arrange the fruit on a plate, cut sides up.
Sprinkle fruit with a pinch of the flaky salt, if using, and drizzle with a small amount of oil.
Add generous dollops of the softly whipped cream.
Serve warm.
Recipe by Trevor Knotts.
Nectarine, maple, and yoghurt popsicles
Makes: 8
Ingredients
3 nectarines, chopped
½ orange juice (reserve the zest for the yoghurt layer)
2 tbsp. maple syrup
250ml full cream plain yoghurt
100ml milk
1tsp vanilla extract
Zest of one orange, finely grated
¼ cup maple syrup
100g ginger biscuits, crushed
4 tbsp. melted butter
To serve
50g dark chocolate, melted
Method
Place the nectarines, orange juice, and maple syrup into a pot, then simmer until the nectarines are soft.
Place into a blender and puree until smooth.
Spoon nectarine puree ⅓ full into the lolly moulds.
Whisk together the yoghurt, milk, orange zest, and maple syrup, then carefully spoon into the moulds onto the fruit mixture, leaving space for the cookie mixture.
Mix the crushed ginger biscuits and butter, then add as the final layer in the lolly moulds.
Carefully push the lolly sticks through, then freeze until completely set before unmoulding.
Before serving, drizzle with melted chocolate.
Recipe by Zola Nene.