Petits fours, dainty cookies and pastry miniatures each have their special appeal on the dessert tray.
This is the season for spectacular stone fruit, berries and cherries. At your local farmers market, you can sample and purchase the best fruit bounty of the year.
Mix and match fruits, place on the bottom of a baking pan, top with a batter or biscuit-like dough and bake — there you have it. A golden-brown topping oozing with bubbly fruit juices is delicious straight from the oven or at room temperature. If you make it day before, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let it come to room temperature and then heat it in a 350-degree oven about 10 minutes.
Nectarine Blueberry Pie
Serves 8
3 lbs. nectarines, pitted and sliced
1 pint blueberries
3⁄4 cup sugar
3 Tbs. quick-cooking tapioca
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
basic pie crust dough for 9-inch double-crust pie
3 Tbs. sugar
Mix nectarines and blueberries in large bowl. Toss with 3/4 cup sugar, tapioca and lemon zest. Let stand about 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide dough into 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Roll larger piece to fit 9-or 10-inch pie dish. Roll remaining piece out into a 14-inch circle. Spoon filling into pie shell and top with 14-inch circle. Press edges to seal and trim off excess dough. Crimp edges decoratively. Sprinkle top with 3 Tbs. sugar. Cut about 5 slits in top crust. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake until top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool at least 1 hour before serving.
Julia Child’s Clafouti
Serves 6
11⁄4 cups milk
1⁄3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla
1⁄8 tsp. salt
1⁄2 cup flour
3 cups pitted cherries or 3 cups raspberries
1⁄3 cup sugar
powdered sugar
In blender, blend milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour. Pour a 1/4-inch layer of the batter in a buttered 7- or 8-cup lightly buttered fireproof baking dish. Place in oven until film of batter sets in the pan. Remove from the heat and spread cherries or raspberries over batter. Sprinkle on the 1/3 cup of sugar. Pour rest of the batter on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The clafouti is done when puffed and brown and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, serve warm.
Ginger Plum Crisp
Serves 8-10
Topping:
3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts
1⁄3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
15 gingersnaps, chopped fine
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tsp. ground ginger
1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄2 cup butter
2 egg yolks
4 Tbs. candied ginger, chopped
Filling:
4 lbs. plums, pitted and sliced
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs. quick-cooking tapioca
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9×13 baking dish. For topping: In medium bowl combine walnuts, sugar, gingersnaps, oats, ground ginger and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg yolks and candied ginger and mix until ingredients are combined but still chunky. Combine filling ingredients and let stand about 15 minutes. Spoon into prepared dish. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit. Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before serving.
Louise Fiszer is a Palo Alto cooking teacher, author and the co-author of “Jewish Holiday Cooking.” Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to [email protected].