Summer is truly one of the best seasons of the year because of all the wonderful stone fruits there are to enjoy. Its bounty brings us luscious peaches, tangy plums, juicy nectarines and so much more. The flavors of stone fruit are incredibly versatile, ranging from mouth-puckering tart to syrupy sweet. Most of you are familiar with common stone fruits such as the ones we’ve named above. But did you know that there are also many different special varieties and hybrids available to try? Here at Melissa’s, we pride ourselves on our ability to bring you the most unique produce from all over the world. Have you ever heard of Apriums, Cherry Plums or Organic Rose Diamond Nectarines? If you wish to explore the wonderful world of stone fruits, check out our Stone Fruit selections.
Pies, cobblers, salads, cocktails–the possibilities are simply endless when it comes to stone fruit. Their succulent flesh all respond well to grilling, baking, roasting and sautéing. While most of us are already know the beloved peach pie and apricot jam, there are so many more fabulous ways to enjoy stone fruit for this season. We’ve put together some of our top stone fruit recipes for you and are featuring some of the other stone fruits you may not be familiar with yet.
A timeless dessert served since Medieval times, compote is an excellent summertime dish because it can be served cold. The succulent texture and juiciness of stone fruits and melons make them excellent choices for our stone fruit compote. In fact, we feature delicious Plumcots, organic nectarines, organic cantaloupe, organic honeydew and green grapes, which are then bathed in a simple sugar and lime syrup. An divine smorgasbord of summer fruits, this compote is an excellent fruit-based side dish to bring to picnics or BBQs.
Though you may usually find citrus and berries in jams and preserves, did you know that tamarillos make an excellent ingredient as well? Tamarillos yield a unique sweet and sour flavor that pairs exquisitely with stone fruits and sugar. And making jam is the easiest way to make the most out of these exotic fruits. For this particular jam, we used apricots for their natural sweetness and richness and pink variegated lemons for their wonderful tartness. Friends and family may wonder what’s is in this amazing jam. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us.
Balsamic Game Hens w/Peach Dragonfruit Chutney
Stone fruits are not just for dessert. Pairing sweet stone fruits with savory ingredients can help enhance meat dishes. Cornish game hens are an easy way to upgrade your chicken dinner into a fancy Sunday dinner without the extra fuss. Flavored with Balsamic vinegar and juicy oranges, these game hens are taken to the next level with a homemade organic peach and dragon fruit chutney. The result is basically a tropical paradise at the dinner table.
Apple chips have been all the rage over the past years but have you ever tried stone fruit chips? Making these peach-a-rine chips are as easy as…well, making pie! Like food you’ll find at a summer fair, golden-brown deep fried peach chips are best topped with a generous sprinkle of powdered sugar. For this recipe, you can use Peach-A-Rines, a fruit that combines two of the most popular stone fruits of the summer season. Or if they’re not available, feel free to use organic peaches or organic nectarines as well.
Saturn Peach, Arugula and Plumcot Salad
Stone fruit can add elegance to any salad. Whether you prefer the subtle, tangy bite of plums or the juiciness of peaches, the flavors of summer are celebrated in our summer stone fruit salad. The key to this salad is to choose the ripest fruits you can find. You can use any of your favorite stone fruits, but we find the fragrant, delicate Saturn Peaches to work best in this recipe. For added sweetness and tartness, you may also include Plumcots as well. Both fruits complement the faint spiciness of the arugula quite well.
If you’re looking for a simple yet stylish dessert, then look no further beyond the Plumcot Tart. Just like how its name sounds, plumcots are a hybrid fruit of plums and apricots and are very sweet. Their high sugar content and firm texture holds well when cooked, making them ideal for desserts. All you need is puff pastry, sugar, cinnamon, plumcots and your favorite apricot jam to create this sweet treat. Ice cream on the side is optional but always welcome, if you ask us.
A fruit that has the best of both worlds with sweet, juicy mangos and soft, delicate nectarines? Allow us to introduce you to the Mango Nectarine. Truly one of nature’s most exquisite fruits, mango nectarines are only available for a short season. Other than eating them fresh out of hand, what better way to enjoy them than with a bowl of cold, refreshing ice cream. If you’re familiar with making ice cream, this flavor is going to be a new favorite.
When the weather gets hot, you’re going to need a summer refresher. We love smoothies all year round, but we especially love them in the summertime. Our 5-ingredient Peach-A-Rine smoothie makes the perfect morning pick-me-up or afternoon snack by the pool. To make this smoothie, gather ripe, juicy, Peach-A-Rines, milk, vanilla yogurt and our Organic Blue Agave Syrup for a little extra sweetness. A quick blend is all you need and then you can say hello to your vacation smoothie!
What’s your favorite summer stone fruit? Share with us your go-to recipes when stone fruit season comes around.