Enjoy fresh fruit for dessert this summer

Summertime is the perfect time to enjoy the fruits of the orchard — berries, peaches, plums and other luscious fruit fresh off the trees and bushes.

Not only is fruit delicious in season, it is a cool way to top off a warm summer day.

A favorite way to enjoy these fruits is in a dessert. You can enjoy them in their raw state or enhance the flavor with whipped cream, a balsamic drizzle or a simple glaze. Or dip them in a simple syrup or melted chocolate.

Macerate your fruit to soften and sweeten it.  The term may not be familiar to you, but all it really means is to soak the fruit in sugar to help draw out the juices. Stir the fruit into yogurt or ice cream or eat it straight.

Grill fruit to caramelize the sugars and add a smokey flavor.

Make a jam and use it on more than just toast. Slather it between the layers of a cake or dollop it on a s’more. Melt it and brush it on a fruit tart or swirl it into ice cream.

Or you can bake them into everything from cobblers to tarts to crisps and cheesecakes. Use refrigerator pie dough or frozen puff pastry to make the dessert even simpler.

And if the hot weather means you don’t want to turn on the oven, try making a dessert in a slow cooker. It will give you a moist, tasty dessert without heating up the kitchen.

Following are a few summer fruit desserts from www.loveandlemons.com.

 

 

Lemon Posset

2 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Fresh berries, for serving

Fresh mint leaves, for serving

Heat cream and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a steady boil for five minutes, watching closely and reducing the heat as needed to prevent cream from boiling over.

Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and vanilla, then set aside to cool 15 minutes.

Stir mixture, then evenly divide between eight small ramekins or hollowed-out lemon halves. Chill in the refrigerator for two hours, until set.

Garnish with berries and mint and serve.

 

 

Strawberry Tiramisu

11/2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Pinch sea salt

1/2 cup water

8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy

24 to 30 ladyfingers

Thinly slice half the strawberries and set aside.

Dice remaining strawberries and place in a medium saucepan. Add sugar, balsamic vinegar and salt and place pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Cover and simmer, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as needed, until strawberries cook into a juicy sauce.

Set a fine mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pass strawberry sauce through the strainer, then set solids aside. Add water to the juices and stir to combine. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.

In a large bowl, mix mascarpone and vanilla extract.

In another large bowl, use an electric mixer or stand mixer to beat cream and powdered sugar on medium speed for five to eight minutes, until soft to medium peaks form. Gradually and gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone, mixing until just combined.

Dip half the ladyfingers into the strawberry syrup, one at a time, leaving each one in the liquid just long enough to coat it on all sides. Arrange dipped ladyfingers evenly at the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch or similar  sized baking dish, cutting them if necessary to fully cover the bottom.

Spread half the mascarpone mixture evenly on top, then evenly dot reserved cooked strawberry solids on top of the mascarpone. Top with half the sliced strawberries.

Dip remaining ladyfingers into the strawberry syrup, one at a time, placing them in an even layer on top of the sliced strawberries. Top with remaining mascarpone mixture and remaining sliced strawberries.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least eight hours before slicing and serving.

 

 

Blueberry Cobbler

For biscuit topping:

3/4 cup flour, spooned in and leveled

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour, spooned in and leveled

2-1/2 tablespoons sugar

1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen for 1 hour, then grated on large holes of a box grater, plus melted butter for brushing

Coarse sugar, for sprinkling

For filling:

2 pints fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For serving:

Vanilla ice cream

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt. Form a well in the center and add coconut milk and grated butter. Use a spatula to fold and form the mixture into a cohesive ball of dough.

Place dough on a lightly floured surface, then use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll dough into a 1/2-inch-thick circle. Use a 2-1/4-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out nine to 11 biscuits, rerolling the scraps and dusting the surface with more flour as necessary.

Transfer biscuits to a parchment-lined plate or baking sheet and refrigerate.

In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla. Toss until fruit is well coated. Place in a greased eight-inch square baking dish and arrange biscuits evenly on top. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 25 to 35 minutes, until fruit is bubbling and biscuits are golden brown. Cool 15 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.

 

 

Summer Strawberry Crumble

2-1/2 cups chopped strawberries

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup whole rolled oats

1/3 cup chopped pistachios

1/4 cup almond flour

1/4 cup brown coconut sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon hardened coconut oil, plus more

Scant 1 tablespoon water

Ice cream, for serving

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse oats, pistachios, flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt until just combined. Add coconut oil and pulse again. Add water and pulse again. The mixture should be crumbly.

In a medium bowl, combine strawberries with balsamic vinegar. Divide strawberries between four small ramekins or mini-skillets greased with coconut oil. Top with crumble.

Bake in a 350-degree oven 15 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and topping is lightly browned. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Mixture can be served unbaked. Sprinkle the pistachio crumble over the fresh strawberries and top with a dollop of yogurt, if desired.

 

 

Watermelon Popsicles

6 cups cubed watermelon

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Place watermelon and lime juice in a blender. Blend until smooth, then pour into popsicle molds, leaving 1/2 inch at the top for expansion.

Cover and add popsicle sticks if necessary. Freeze at least four hours, until set.

 

 

Fancy S’mores

Graham crackers

Marshmallows

Variety of fancy chocolates

Fruit such as: bananas, strawberries, blackberries

Salted caramel

Almond butter

Roast marshmallows over a campfire or burner of a gas stove. Assemble on graham crackers with chocolates, fruit, caramel and/or almond butter.

 

 

Grilled Pineapple

1 tablespoon avocado oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Pinches of chili powder

1 pineapple, cut, cored and sliced into rings

Cooking spray or avocado oil

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium heat.

In a small bowl, mix oil, lime juice, honey, salt and chili powder and brush onto the pineapple.

Spray or brush grill with oil, then grill the pineapple three to four minutes per side, until char marks form.

 

 

Tart Cherry and Mint Sorbet

2 cups frozen Montmorency tart cherries

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 cup mint leaves

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup water

1/8 teaspoon salt

Place tart cherries, maple syrup, lemon juice, mint, coconut milk, water and salt in a high speed blender. Blend on low and gradually work up to high speed. Blend until the fruit is very smooth and thick, like the texture of soft-serve. Don’t overmix or sorbet will start melting from the heat of the blender.

If cherries are too hard to blend, let them thaw for just a few minutes until your blender blade will move.

Serve as soft-serve immediately or pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze at least two hours, until firm. If sorbet firms too much, let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes until it’s scoop-able.

 

 

Summer Fruit Tart

For crust:

9 graham cracker sheets

5 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For filling:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup raw cashews

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For topping:

2 ripe peaches or nectarines, sliced

1/3 cup raspberries or pitted and halved cherries

In a food processor, pulse graham crackers, coconut oil, brown sugar and salt until crumbly. Press mixture into the bottom of a nine-inch nonstick tart pan lined on the bottom with parchment paper, using the back of a measuring cup to press cracker mixture firmly onto the bottom and up the sides. Freeze 30 minutes.

In a high-speed blender, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, cashews, lemon juice, zest and vanilla and blend until creamy. Spread filling onto the crust and chill overnight in the refrigerator.

Top with peaches and raspberries and serve.

 

 

Peach Crisp

6 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

For topping:

3/4 cup whole rolled oats

1/2 cup flour, spooned in and leveled

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for the pan

In a large bowl, toss peaches with flour, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Spread evenly in a greased nine-inch square baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Use a fork, a pastry cutter or hands, work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over peaches.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until peaches are bubbling and topping is golden brown and crisp.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.