We’ve got a batch of delicious and decidedly quick summer fruit recipes in the latest issue of Ocadolife. I think you need them in your life, so here’s the lowdown in case you missed them.
Tart, glossy blackberries work well in salads and smoothies, but also make
a superb compote to stir into yoghurt or serve with pancakes. Dissolve 50g sugar and the juice of 1 orange in a saucepan with a clove. Add 300g blackberries and simmer for 3 mins.
Generally speaking, stone fruits and almonds are a match made in culinary heaven. For a refreshing and lighter way to end a summer supper than a cheese course, combine ricotta with goat’s cheese and scatter with slices of nectarine, toasted almonds and a drizzle of acacia honey.
Mango is supremely versatile; many Indians eat it at every meal when it’s in season. Try blitzing the ripe flesh in a blender and stirring into your usual creamy chicken or prawn curry sauce to add a delicious sweetness. And for pudding, mango and cardamom ice cream is always a winner.
If you’re cooking with cherries, leave the stones in as they release an
almond flavour. Clafoutis is the easiest baked dessert of all: preheat the oven
to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6. Split a vanilla pod into 400ml milk and warm. Fold 45g flour and 75g sugar into 3 whisked eggs, then beat in the warmed milk. Tip the mixture into a greased tin with 300g cherries. Bake for 25 mins.
Try peach melba on the barbecue. Mash 65g raspberries, vanilla seeds and 10g sugar. Leave for 20 mins. Place 2 peach halves, cut side up, in a foil parcel with a nob of butter in each. Spoon the mashed mixture on top. Seal and place on the barbecue for 30 mins.
Roasting stone fruits releases their juices and sweet flavours – 20 mins should do it – then simply serve warm with mascarpone and a spoonful of honey. Or for a savoury Asian twist, roast plum halves alongside chicken thighs with chilli, garlic, ginger, seasoning and a drizzle of soy sauce and serve with rice. The salty tang of the soy sauce is a perfect complement to the sweet, fragrant and sticky plums.
There’s no such thing as a British summer without the strawberry.
To make an easy Eton mess for four, chop 450g strawberries and blend half into a purée with 1 tbsp icing sugar. Whip 500ml whipping cream and fold into 4 broken meringue nests with the chopped strawberries and 2 tbsp of the purée. Layer into tumblers and serve with the remaining purée on top.
Grab a spoon!
Naomi, PR and Social Media Executive
