eG Cook-Off #73: The Fruits of Summer

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I made a blueberry coffeecake in an 8 x 8" (20.32 cm x same) with a whole pint of blueberries in it. I've made this coffeecake before, but didn't like it quite as well this time. Instead of a streusel topping, sometimes I like to use lightly sweetened cream cheese topping.

 

I guess, in the past I just stirred a little sugar into a block of cream cheese. This time I whipped an egg and combined it with the cream cheese and a little sugar for the topping, like cheesecake batter. It's still fine, but the cheesecake batter sort of melded into the cake batter, so there's no real texture difference, like the prior versions I've made. I like biting into that tangy, contrasting blob of cream cheese like the way I was making it before. It's a lot like blueberry cheese danish in the no egg version, and not so much in this one. The egg batter pours over the cake and the eggless version gets dolloped on top.

 

These berries came from Michigan, but I threw the container out and can't remember the town. Probably too late for local NC blueberries.

[Anna N]

 

Peach "gratin". Sliced peaches, 30% milk fat sour cream, 1/2 package of ginger drink mix crystals and a trip under the broiler. 

[Anna N]

 

Small summer torte (has been much discussed).  Also posted in Air Fryer topic. I think you can find the recipe by googling Plum Torte in New York Times.  It is a Marian Burros recipe. Here.

[David Ross]

I don't know why, but I've never really eaten many blueberries.  I've been making this summer "crostatta" for years now, basically a round of your favorite pasty dough or puff pastry, some fruit in the middle, and whatever type of crumb topping you like.  I usually make it with huckleberries, but we have had, and still are having, a wonderful blueberry season up here.  Probably won't last through the end of this week as our night temps are now dipping into the 40's.

 

I didn't do anything to the blueberries other than place them in the center of the dough.  Then brushed the edges of the pastry with egg wash, folded the pastry to create a sort of open pillow, then the crumb topping-a mixture of sugar, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.  The crostatta was brushed with more egg wash and sprinkled with demera sugar, then into the oven at 375 for about 35 minutes. It's really easy and really delicious.

 

[kayb]

Ginger drink crystals to top a fruit dessert. Absolute freakin' genius.

 

On the list to look for at Kroger tomorrow.

 

[cakewalk]

The rumtopf is pretty full these days. I just added another peach and nectarine. Not so many different fruits this time: raspberries, strawberries, plums, peaches, nectarines. I also couldn't help adding some mango - I figure it's local and seasonal somewhere!! There's just a bit more room and I hope to add some red grapes in a couple of weeks. Then I'll just let it hang out until Thanksgiving.

 

That blueberry crostata above is beautiful. My parents always used "blueberries" and "huckleberries" interchangeably, and I thought they were the same thing until about 10 years ago when someone wrote about them on eGullet. I don't think I've ever seen a huckleberry, much less tasted one. This needs to be remedied, but I suspect it will have to wait until next season. (I don't remember ever seeing them in NY, but they must be sold somewhere.)

[Fava]

I haven't made Rumtopf in a while! Really should do one again next year. In the past I have also added ripe Mangoes, delicious. 

[David Ross]

Blueberries and huckleberries are two very different berries. Fresh huckleberries are usually only sold in farmer's markets up here in the Pacific Northwest, but I have seen them in small upscale grocery stores.  The season is usually July-August-September, but this year they came early.  We had them in the Spokane area by mid-July and they were done by the third week of August.  Huckleberries do freeze well, so we have some local farmer's market co-ops where we can buy them frozen year-round, and I think there are some online sources.  When I tasted the blueberry crostatta I realized why I don't buy many blueberries.  They just don't have the burst of sweet yet tangy flavor and the floral perfume of a huckleberry. So when it comes to small, and smaller, purplish blue round berries, I prefer the huckleberry.

 

I made some blueberry muffins this morning and they were decent, but.................... 

[Smithy]

I finally got around to trying pork with broiled peaches.  The peaches were halved, sprinkled with sugar, given a drizzle of bourbon, and broiled until caramelized and collapsed.  The pork tenderloin was cooked sous vide then quickly browned in a hot pan.  Aside from salt and pepper, I think the main seasoning on the pork was a sprig of rosemary between the two tenderloin halves during the sous vide step.  (This was several days ago and I wasn't taking the time to take notes.)

 

Proof of concept: good.  I think the hasselback pork treatment noted earlier would have been even better, but my kitchen time is limited these days.  My other half wasn't crazy about the sweetness of peaches with pork (he's more of a salt guy than a sweet guy) but I'm enjoying the leftovers.  There's a method to my madness.

 

 

[David Ross]

What better time of year than right now to re-visit one of our popular eG Cook-Off's: The Fruits of Summer.  What fruits are you cooking and baking with this summer?

[David Ross]

Another one of our favorite Summer Cook-Off's and some great recipes and ideas.

[Smithy]

On 8/2/2019 at 11:16 AM, David Ross said:

What better time of year than right now to re-visit one of our popular eG Cook-Off's: The Fruits of Summer.  What fruits are you cooking and baking with this summer?

 

I'm going to stretch the range a little bit, in two ways.

 

Stretch #1: no cooking or baking involved: The peaches and nectarines are coming in from California and North Carolina here, and they're fabulous. I made peach/nectarine ice cream the other day and took it to friends. We all shared, and they got the leftovers, so I'll be making more soon.

 

 

Hmm, peach/nectarine turnovers or tarts would be good. Maybe I'll try that too.

 

Stretch #2: tomatoes. We usually think of summer fruits as sweet, but technically, tomatoes are also a fruit. In Minnesota the tomatoes are starting to come into their own. Last night's dinner was our second Caprese salad of the season, and my best version yet due to a hint of salt and garlic in the mix. This also was a no bake/no cook dish, unless you care to count the bread I'd baked some time ago and was anxious to use up. 

 

[heidih]

The bleepin night critters ate all my nectarines - and left completely cleaned pits on the patio just to give me the finger. Can't get to Farmers Market and refuse to eat the not so great stuff from Kroger so to paraphrase Seinfeld "No fruit for me!"

[Smithy]

Just now, heidih said:

The bleepin night critters ate all my nectarines - and left completely cleaned pits on the patio just to give me the finger. Can't get to Farmers Market and refuse to eat the not so great stuff from Kroger so to paraphrase Seinfeld "No fruit for me!"

 

I am mystified as to why the really good stone fruits are so difficult to find in California, where they're grown. For the last 10 years that I visited my family in the San Joaquin Valley during the summer, we had to rely on friends with backyard trees. Even the roadside fruit stands didn't have good stuff. Why is that, do you suppose? I still know good stone fruits from mediocre; it isn't as though I've forgotten. I can promise you that with judicious shopping I have better access to good peaches and nectarines in northern Minnesota grocery stores than in the grocery stores near where where they were grown! (Apricots are another story, alas.)

[heidih]

I think it is monetary thing. I can  get good from Farmers Market (not cheap) and a "secret spot" I know at landfill I just can't get around anymore ; life changes. Taste memories as you noted don't fade. I will never forget our white nectarine tree - heaven on earth..But I am enjoying what y'all are sharing   One of my favorites as a young teen was fresh cherries in a brownie cake-like prep. I remember taking some to a Lakers game and sharing with random folks seated around. Moans of pleasure. Cherries and chocolate seems a thing like Nancy Silverton's chocolate cherry bread.  https://forums.egullet.org/topic/130963-chocolate-sour-cherry-bread-ala-labrea/

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by heidih (log)

[David Ross]

I miss living in the Willamette Valley in Oregon when I was a kid.  This time of year we always had blackberries, but also the delicious loganberry and the berry that was cultivated in the area, the marionberry.  We usually just had them in pies as I remember.  My Father's favorite summer fruit was something we always had at Grandmothers in the summer, the gooseberry.  A very tart berry and the pie had loads of sugar.  We went to two different fruit stands in the summers and one in particular had the fresh gooseberries.  Mother made a delicious gooseberry pie.  

 

Living in Eastern, WA, we have some early peaches coming into season, but the best summer peaches won't be ready for another month or so.  Yesterday  was the annual summer trek for me to the farmer's market to get my first batch of wild huckleberries, a rite of passage to us in this region of the Pacific Northwest.  They grow up on Mount Hood in Oregon, and in upper northeast WA and north Idaho.  The man I get them from literally lives up in the forest and forages for wild mushrooms and huckleberries.  They are certainly one of our fruits of summer.

[Shelby]

I did something probably dumb, but I was and am craving good fruit and I've bought a monthly delivery for my MIL a couple times and it has worked well.  I ordered for myself a monthly delivery of fruit from Harry and David.  First was mangoes (heavenly).  Second was cherries.  Not great.  I could have bought the same from the grocery store.  Dunno what my point is here lol.   Just sharing.

[MokaPot]

@Shelby, I'd be interested to hear reports on the Harry and David fruit. I used to give the pears, etc., as gifts. I think I've only ever tried the pears, myself. IMO, gift recipients want to be polite and don't really tell you 100% what their opinions about the fruits. So, I'd be interested to hear honest opinions.

[Shelby]

8 minutes ago, MokaPot said:

@Shelby, I'd be interested to hear reports on the Harry and David fruit. I used to give the pears, etc., as gifts. I think I've only ever tried the pears, myself. IMO, gift recipients want to be polite and don't really tell you 100% what their opinions about the fruits. So, I'd be interested to hear honest opinions.

Well my first observation is that I did the "small" shipment that was for two people.  I got 3 mangoes.  Sooooo....that seems small for the amount of money and then the cherries ...I probably got 2 cups??? And, like I said they weren't very good.  I realize it's a pandemic, so I get it...but...

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, Shelby said:

Well my first observation is that I did the "small" shipment that was for two people.  I got 3 mangoes.  Sooooo....that seems small for the amount of money and then the cherries ...I probably got 2 cups??? And, like I said they weren't very good.  I realize it's a pandemic, so I get it...but...

 

I too will be interested to hear about your experiences with them. I'm sorry that you're not impressed so far...it's a lot of money! Our family used to splurge on the pears at Christmas time; a lot of friends and family got them, and we always got a box for our own family. We loved those pears, but never tried any of the other fruit.

[David Ross]

14 hours ago, MokaPot said:

@Shelby, I'd be interested to hear reports on the Harry and David fruit. I used to give the pears, etc., as gifts. I think I've only ever tried the pears, myself. IMO, gift recipients want to be polite and don't really tell you 100% what their opinions about the fruits. So, I'd be interested to hear honest opinions.

It's surprising to me about the cherries, but I wonder what the source was, as in from their own orchards?  They have two different pears.  The regular pears to me aren't any different than what I can buy locally in season.  The Royal Riviera pears I thought were wonderful.

[David Ross]

On 8/3/2020 at 6:54 AM, David Ross said:

It's surprising to me about the cherries, but I wonder what the source was, as in from their own orchards?  They have two different pears.  The regular pears to me aren't any different than what I can buy locally in season.  The Royal Riviera pears I thought were wonderful.

Another interesting piece of family history.  My Grandmother's first job out of college in 1919 was a school teacher in Medford, Oregon.  She would eventually meet and marry my Grandfather who was a shopkeeper and farmer down there.  During summers when she was off teaching she worked in the Harry and David cannery, which of course was a new business in their early days.  My Father always talked about the pears and peaches from their orchards down there.

[Katie Meadow]

A very minimal anecdotal contribution. For several years someone gave us Royal Riviera pears in December. They were fabulous. They arrived in varying degrees of ripeness, so that we were able to enjoy them over a period of a couple of weeks, and they seemed perfect. Then, maybe two or three years ago I ordered them for myself. They were all very ripe, a few had some bruises, and so they required eating very quickly. Disappointing, and not worth the price like that.

 

A few years ago my MIL received a month of Cushman Honey Belles, which happen to be one of my very favorite citrus fruits, and not very available here in CA. They were perfect and very distinctive, reminding me of the ones my mother used to get on the east coast. The next year I ordered them for myself. Once again, disappointing. They were nothing special. They tasted just like any oranges.

 

This isn't much of a sample, and I don't know what anyone else's experience has been, but I'm not buying their fruit these days. Those are the two fruits I love and are hard to find in stores here. Most of the stone fruits I don't have trouble finding  at the farmers' markets locally, so I have no reason to order them. Although this year the rules about touching or picking your own fruit has made some expeditions less rewarding than previously. 

[chromedome]

2 hours ago, David Ross said:

Another interesting piece of family history.  My Grandmother's first job out of college in 1919 was a school teacher in Medford, Oregon.  She would eventually meet and marry my Grandfather who was a shopkeeper and farmer down there.  During summers when she was off teaching she worked in the Harry and David cannery, which of course was a new business in their early days.  My Father always talked about the pears and peaches from their orchards down there.

A friend and colleague of mine lives in Medford and works part time at their call center to supplement her earnings from writing.

[David Ross]

16 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

A very minimal anecdotal contribution. For several years someone gave us Royal Riviera pears in December. They were fabulous. They arrived in varying degrees of ripeness, so that we were able to enjoy them over a period of a couple of weeks, and they seemed perfect. Then, maybe two or three years ago I ordered them for myself. They were all very ripe, a few had some bruises, and so they required eating very quickly. Disappointing, and not worth the price like that.

 

A few years ago my MIL received a month of Cushman Honey Belles, which happen to be one of my very favorite citrus fruits, and not very available here in CA. They were perfect and very distinctive, reminding me of the ones my mother used to get on the east coast. The next year I ordered them for myself. Once again, disappointing. They were nothing special. They tasted just like any oranges.

 

This isn't much of a sample, and I don't know what anyone else's experience has been, but I'm not buying their fruit these days. Those are the two fruits I love and are hard to find in stores here. Most of the stone fruits I don't have trouble finding  at the farmers' markets locally, so I have no reason to order them. Although this year the rules about touching or picking your own fruit has made some expeditions less rewarding than previously. 

Last weekend I went to one of our farmer's markets, mainly for huckleberries.  There were long lines at some of the stands, but then I spotted one of my favorite stands, (and the one where I get huckleberries), and they had no line.  I got huckleberries, lemon cucumbers, yellow wax beans and they had delicious black plums.  I'll go back next month when our local peaches and pears start showing up. This was my first venture to the market since last season, so it took a bit of adjusting that I'm not used to, but still the best place to get fresh, seasonal summer fruits.