Summer Fruit with Sugar & Spice

There are few pleasures tastier than a bowlful of juicy summer fruits. Delicious on their own, a bit of butter, sugar, and just the right combination of spices can make them even more memorable. Here, try our nine great pick-of-the-season desserts ripe for summer entertaining.

SEIZE THE SEASON

The time for summer fruit desserts is sweet but fleeting. Here’s how—and why—to get your fill.

Strawberries If you don’t have a strawberry patch in your backyard, you’ll find the sweetest, juiciest strawberries at the pick-your-own patch nearby. Pick more than you can eat fresh and make jam to enjoy in January. For easy freezer jam recipes, see www.kraftfoods.com/recipes.

Blueberries Dessert may be the healthiest course in your meal if it’s based on blueberries—they have among the highest concentration of antioxidants of any fruit.

Cherries Cherry season is short; sweet cherries reach perfection in late June, tart cherries in July—but they freeze well. Stock up on tart cherries (and buy a cherry pitter), pit and freeze them, then enjoy cherry pie this winter.

Peaches & Nectarines Both of these fruits are ideal for dessert at summer cookouts because they hold up so nicely on the grill. They’re also hard to beat in pies, fruit crisp, and tossed with honey and served atop ice cream. Try white-fleshed peaches as well.

Raspberries More than perhaps any other fruit, raspberries pair deliciously with chocolate. We suggest serving up a bowl of golden and red raspberries with whipped cream alongside a tray of fancy chocolates.

Blackberries These rich, wine-flavored berries have many different names—black raspberries, black mulberries, elderberries, boysenberries, marionberries, and loganberries. They all work equally well for eating out of hand or in dessert. Look for them May through August.

Apricots Like cherries, apricots appear in the markets ever-so-briefly. To freeze fresh ones, halve and remove the pits, then place on a baking sheet in the freezer until solid. Pack in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer.

Plums Part of the fun of plums is that there are so many varieties ripening in stages throughout the summer. Try Santa Rosas in cakes and cobblers and tiny dark-purple Italian (also called prune) plums in tarts.

Melon All fruit desserts have a lightness about them, but those featuring honeydew, cantaloupe, or muskmelon are truly refreshing after a hearty grilled steak. Look for the best melons in late August and September.

SUMMER FRUIT RECIPES
Apricot-Raspberry Almond Tart
Olive Oil-Basil Cornmeal Cake with Strawberry Sauce
Melon and Champagne Slushes
Mango-Anise Panna Cotta with Blueberries and Honey
Plum Upside-Down Cake
Summer Fruits in Lavender Syrup
Grilled Nectarines with Dark Rum Custard Sauce
Tart Cherry & Five-Spice Cobblers
Sweet Cherry-Chocolate Chunk Gelato

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