Easy Summer Fruit Dessert

Need an easy summer dessert?

This simple dish -- cut up fruit steeped in a seasoned, sweetened syrup -- is the perfect ending to a meal on a hot summer day, especially when you want a dairy-free dessert.

Of course you could always top the fruit with ice cream or whipped cream. Sorbet would be fine too.

I like it plain, as-is, with a small amount of boiled-down, thickened syrup.

SOAKED SUMMER FRUIT

• 2 pounds stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots), approximately

• 3 cups water

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 vanilla bean, broken

• 2 orange slices, about 1/4-inch thick

• 4-5 slices crystallized ginger

Cut the fruit in half and remove the pits. Cut the fruit into bite-size chunks and place in a dish deep enough to hold the pieces plus liquid. In a saucepan, combine the water, honey, vanilla bean, orange slices and crystallized ginger and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Pour the contents of the saucepan through a strainer over the fruit. Let soak for at least 2 hours. Serve as-is or strain the fluids, boil the fluids for 6-8 minutes or until thickened, and pour over the fruit (or let cool first).

Makes 8 servings

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Blueberries are a staple in my house. We eat them plain of course and with yogurt. But I also bake with them. There are always some muffins or scones, crisps or pies in the freezer because, as my mother used to say “just in case you get unexpected company.” And also, I like to give food away if there are workmen in the house or our mailman or UPS delivery guy comes to the door.

This cake, chock full of blueberries and topped with a crumbly streusel crust, is a favorite with everyone.

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Streusel:

• 6 tablespoons butter, margarine or solid coconut oil

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup quick oats

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon zest

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup orange juice

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil

• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-1/2-inch springform pan (or 9-inch cake pan).

Make the streusel: Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Place the flour, quick oats, sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Mix to distribute the ingredients. Add the melted butter and mix until crumbs form. Set aside.

Make the cake: place the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and lemon zest in a bowl and mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Set aside. Beat the eggs, orange juice, vegetable oil and vanilla extract together on medium for about 3 minutes, or until thoroughly blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix for 2-3 minutes or until a thick, uniform batter has formed. Fold in the berries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the streusel on top. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Makes 8 servings

Strawberry-Rhubarb (+) Pie

I love rhubarb! My mother used to make it as a side dish all the time, mostly with chicken.

She made strawberry-rhubarb pie too with the berries straight from the garden. Those were some delicious days!

I make strawberry-rhubarb pie too, alas, no garden stuff. And supermarket and even most farmers’ market strawberries just ain't what they used to be. 

So - once I included some blackberries and that was really delicious. I like this fruit pie filling with a bit of orange zest, but lemon zest will do just as well.

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Here’s the recipe:

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB-BLACKBERRY PIE

DOUGH: 

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 1/3 cup chilled vegetable shortening

• 4-5 tablespoons orange juice

FILLING:

• 3 cups sliced (1/2-inch pieces) rhubarb, about one pound

• 2 cups strawberries cut in half

• 1 cup blackberries

• 1/2 - 2/3 cup sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 5 tablespoons flour

• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into chunks

Combine the flour, salt and orange zest in a food processor. Add the butter and shortening in chunks and process on pulse about 24 times, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add as much of the juice as is needed to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Cut the dough in half, flatten into disks and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into circles to fit a 9” pie pan. Place one circle inside the pie pan.

To make the filling, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, blackberries, sugar, salt, flour, orange peel and cinnamon. Add the filling to the pie pan. Cut the butter into chunks and place on top of the filling. Cut strips from the second dough circle and place them in a lattice design on top of the fruit. Seal the edges where the strips meet the bottom crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes one 9-inch pie

Pie for the 4th

Strawberry-Rhubarb-Blackberry Pie

I love rhubarb! My mother used to make it as a side dish all the time, mostly with chicken.

She made strawberry-rhubarb pie too with the berries straight from the garden. Those were some delicious days!

I make strawberry-rhubarb pie too, alas, no garden stuff. And supermarket and even most farmers’ market strawberries just ain't what they used to be. 

So - once I included some blackberries and that was really delicious. I like this fruit pie filling with a bit of orange zest, but lemon zest will do just as well.

Here’s the recipe:

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB-BLACKBERRY PIE

DOUGH: 

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 1/3 cup chilled vegetable shortening

• 4-5 tablespoons orange juice

FILLING:

• 3 cups sliced (1/2-inch pieces) rhubarb, about one pound

• 2 cups strawberries cut in half

• 1 cup blackberries

• 1/2 - 2/3 cup sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 5 tablespoons flour

• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into chunks

Combine the flour, salt and orange zest in a food processor. Add the butter and shortening in chunks and process on pulse about 24 times, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add as much of the juice as is needed to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Cut the dough in half, flatten into disks and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into circles to fit a 9” pie pan. Place one circle inside the pie pan.

To make the filling, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, blackberries, sugar, salt, flour, orange peel and cinnamon. Add the filling to the pie pan. Cut the butter into chunks and place on top of the filling. Cut strips from the second dough circle and place them in a lattice design on top of the fruit. Seal the edges where the strips meet the bottom crust. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes one 9-inch pie

Blueberry Pie with Streusel Crust

Summer blueberries? 

Pie came to mind first. It's always pie first for me.

My mother, who was a master pie baker, never baked blueberry pie because she said the insides were either too thick and gloppy or too runny. I experimented with the fruit, sweetener and thickening agent a few times before the filling consistency was right.

Here it is! Perfect for summer. Good stuff for July 4th!

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BLUEBERRY CRUMB PIE

CRUMB CRUST:

• 3/4 cup flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 6 tablespoons butter

Combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter in chunks and work it into the dry ingredients with fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse meal. If you use a food processor, add the ingredients to the work bowl and mix using 18-24 quick, short pulses (enough for the mixture to resemble coarse meal). Set aside.

FILLING:

• 6 cups blueberries, approximately

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 unbaked pie crust bottom

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the blueberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and lemon juice in a large bowl. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Cover the top with the crumbs. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until  golden brown.

Note: you can use 3 “1-pint” boxes of blueberries. Although a liquid pint equals 2 cups, a dry pint of blueberries from most markets has a bit more.

Makes 8 servings

Mango and Avocado Salsa

Here’s another one of the Salsas I will be demonstrating at the New Canaan YMCA on June 11th. It’s so colorful and refreshing, so perfect for summer (although its also a good bet for Superbowl).

Most of the time I serve salsa as an hors d’oeuvre (with corn chips) but sometimes I use it as a side dish for grilled fish or chicken and also with burgers.

mango and avocado Salsa

• 1 large ripe mango (or two small Ataulfo mangoes)

• 1 ripe avocado

• 1/4 cup chopped red onion

• 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno (or other chili) pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

• 1 tablespoon lime juice

• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro (or use parsley)

• salt if desired

• corn or plantain chips

Peel and pit the mango and avocado. Chop the fruit into small pieces (or use a food processor) and place the pieces in a mixing bowl. Add the red onion, chili pepper, lime zest, lime juice and cilantro. If using a food processor, process on pulse to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and add salt if desired. Serve with chips.

Makes about 2 cups

Roasted Fruit Cocktail

Roasted Fruit Cocktail

After a huge Passover Seder meal (or any big dinner), Roasted Fruit Cocktail is an excellent choice for dessert. Roasting brings out the fruit sugars in a tantalizing way with hints of rum and molasses. The chopped mint adds color and a really fresh, perky finish.

ROASTED FRUIT COCKTAIL

• 1 ripe fresh pineapple

• 2 fresh mangos

• 3/4 cup orange juice

• 1/4 cup honey

• cinnamon

• 18-20 strawberries, hulls removed

• 1 cup seedless red grapes

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

• sorbet or ice cream, optional

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a jelly roll sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.Remove the leaves and hard outer shell of the pineapple. Cut the pineapple lengthwise into 1-inch thick strips. Discard the fibrous core. Place the remaining strips on the parchment-lined jelly roll pan. Peel the mango and cut the flesh into strips. Set aside. Place the orange juice and honey in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat slightly and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the liquid is slightly thickened. Generously brush all surfaces of the pineapple strips with the orange juice mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Roast for 4-5 minutes. Turn the strips over. Add the mango strips, strawberries and grapes to the pan. Brush with the remaining orange juice mixture. Roast for another 6-7 minutes or until fruit is soft and lightly caramelized. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool. Cut the pineapple and mango strips into bite size pieces. Place all the fruit and accumulated pan juices in a bowl, sprinkle with the mint and toss. Place into serving dishes. Serve plain or with sorbet or ice cream.

Makes 8 servings

Khoshaf for Passover

Khoshaf

My grandma always cooked stewed dried fruit and I always associated that particular dish with her generation of Ashkenazi Jewish grandmas.

But, several years ago when Ed and I were in Egypt I noticed what looked like grandma’s “dried fruit compote” on every hotel breakfast buffet.

It wasn’t compote though. It was a dish called Khoshaf and apparently is a specialty served to break the Ramadan fast (and at lots of other times too). It is made with dried fruit, like compote, but it isn’t stewed! The fruit is steeped in a sweet, boiling syrupy liquid so it stays firm and pleasantly chewy. I took one taste and was hooked! I still make stewed fruit compote sometimes but other times I have a yen for khoshaf. It’s a special treat and perfect for Passover.

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KHOSHAF

• 1-1/2 cups water

• 1 cup apricot nectar (or orange juice, peach juice, white grape juice, etc)

• 1/4 cup (or more or less to taste) sugar

• 1 tablespoon orange flower water, rosewater or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 lemon or orange cut into quarters

• 1 cup dried apricots

• 1 cup prunes or dried plums

• 1 cup dried figs, halved or quaretred, depending on size

• 1 cup raisins

• chopped pistachio nuts

Combine the water, apricot nectar and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until slightly syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the flavoring. Pour over the fruit and toss ingredients. Let rest for at least one hour, tossing the ingredients occasionally. Sprinkle with nuts and serve.

Makes 6-8 servings

German Apple Pancake

People joke that for every Jewish holiday there’s a different food and that’s actually true, except for fast days which means no food, but food is still part of the holiday, if you know what I mean. 

Because I’m a food writer I love the culinary aspect of holidays and love making holiday specialties. Chremslach during Passover. Cheesecake for Shavuot. Honey Cake for Rosh Hashanah.

Of course other religions and ethnic groups have delicious foods for holidays too. I love making and eating some of them. I don’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day but I can still enjoy an Irish coffee. And I don’t observe Lent but absolutely love being reminded about pancakes when Shrove Tuesday (aka Pancake Tuesday) rolls around, which it will, soon.

Actually our family enjoys pancakes on any given weekend, and particularly my German Apple Pancake in the fall, when the fresh crop of apples is available — this is a traditional treat for us for Rosh Hashanah.

But since I have been thinking about pancakes I figure, why wait? I like to serve a meatless meal at least once a week and I can’t think of anything I’d like more this week than that German Apple Pancake we love so much.

When I make this for Rosh Hashanah, I use Rhode Island Greenings, Gravensteins or Jonagold apples. This time of year I use Honeycrisp. 

GERMAN APPLE PANCAKE

• 2 large, tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup milk

• 4 large eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 1-2 teaspoons sifted confectioner’s sugar, optional

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the apple slices in a bowl. Add the sugar and cinnamon, mix and set aside. Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in another bowl, add the flour mixture and whisk the ingredients into a smooth batter and set aside. Heat the butter in a heavy skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the apples, including any juices, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the apples are soft and caramelized. Pour the batter over the apples. Place the pan in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the pancake is puffed and golden brown. Invert onto a serving platter. Serve as is or sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

Makes 4 servings

Fruit and Green Tomato Chutney

It’s that time of year again — there are still some ripe red tomatoes, lots of basil and a couple of eggplants in my garden, but mostly green tomatoes, (mostly still-green cherry tomatoes). They’ll ripen if I keep them on the vine but frankly, I have had so much success in the past using them for chutney, that that’s what I’ve been doing.

This chutney lasts for months in the fridge. I always make a few jars of it. We love it with any kind of meat and also roasted or grilled chicken. Think of this as a good relish that pairs well with your Thanksgiving turkey.

It’s a good gift too, for the chutney lovers in your life.

FRUIT AND GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY 

• 6 apples or pears, peeled, cored and chopped

• 2 pounds green tomatoes, chopped

• 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

• 2 small chili peppers such as serrano, deseeded and chopped

• 1 large clove garlic, chopped

• 2-1/2 cups chopped dried fruit (such as figs, dates, apricots, pears, raisins)

• 1/2 cup crystallized ginger

• 3 cups any kind of fruit vinegar

• 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

• 2 cups sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 2 teaspoon mustard seeds

Place the fresh fruit, tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, garlic, dried fruit, crystallized ginger, cider vinegar, Balsamic vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, kosher salt and mustard seed in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until very thick.  

Makes about 6 cups