Pit fruit season is upon us: peaches, plums, nectarines and cherries in all their juicy glory. And there is so little time to experience these fragrant delights. Not only is their prime season fairly short, but they can go from ripe to rotten quickly, so you really do need a game plan before you buy. Here are several of my favorites to enjoy now.
Sherried peach-onion relish
Cling peaches, with fruit that hugs the pit, are perhaps best suited to relishes and salsas because they are firmer than the softer Freestones, which separate easily from the pit but have softer fruit. This sweet and peppery relish is great with grilled chicken. Try it in a chicken sandwich for lunch. Recipe from Eating Well magazine. Makes enough for four servings.
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 onions, quartered and sliced (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup sugar
2 good-sized peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup sherry vinegar or cider vinegar
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
Salt to taste
Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened and starting to color, five to seven minutes. Add sugar, stirring until it dissolves and starts to bubble, about two minutes. Add peaches; cook another four minutes or until mixture turns golden brown. Add vinegar and sherry; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened and jam-like, five to 10 minutes. Stir in crushed peppercorns and season with salt to taste. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Warm chocolate-cherry crumble
The combination of sweet, juicy cherries and bittersweet chocolate is irresistible. Recipe from “Chef On A Shoestring” edited by Andrew Friedman. Try it on frozen yogurt or vanilla ice cream.
20 fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved
2 tablespoons honey
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
8 ounces unsalted butter
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cherries, honey, zest and chocolate in a bowl. Distribute evenly in the bottom of a 6- to 8-inch pie or quiche dish. Combine flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon until completely blended and beginning to form small balls. Break into small pieces; sprinkle evenly over the top of the cherry mixture. Bake 20 minutes; remove from oven and serve warm.
Gingered plum sauce
This versatile sauce, from Sunset magazine, has a sweet but sharp flavor that works well as a basting sauce for roast chicken or a marinade for lamb. This is a good way to use up plums that have splits or are overripe. A quick recipe for simmered pork follows the sauce recipe. You can make the sauce ahead and refrigerate up to a week; makes enough sauce for one entree.
1 pound plums, pitted
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato-based chili sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Whirl the pitted plums in a blender until pureed. In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter or margarine. Cook onion until limp. Stir in remaining ingredients and the plum puree. Simmer, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool, then transfer to glass jar or other airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Simmered Pork with Plum Sauce:
1 tablespoon salad oil
2 pounds boneless lean pork (butt or loin), trimmed of fat
1 recipe gingered plum sauce
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add pork; brown well on all sides. Pour plum sauce into pan; bring to simmering. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until pork is tender when pierced, about 25 minutes. Serve over hot cooked rice. Makes four to six servings.
Nectarines on the grill
This is so easy and makes a great presentation. Use fruit that is ripe but firm. Simply pit and halve one nectarine per person for a savory course, or a half nectarine per person for a dessert course. Brush halves with a neutral oil and place cut-sides-down on a hot grill. When grill marks form, remove and turn right-side up on a serving platter.
For a light entree or salad course, fill cavities with prepared chicken salad and top each half with a little fresh ground black pepper. For a dessert, sprinkle each grilled nectarine half with a little sugar and fill each cavity with a dollop of vanilla or butter pecan ice cream. Serve immediately.