I don’t know about you, but I tend to go a little crazy during the summer when it comes to fresh fruit. I just love going to the farmer’s markets, local produce stands, and the supermarket to see what there is to see! Truth be told, I buy a lot of what I see – – I just can’t help myself. It all looks and feels and smells so wonderful! But with there only being two people in my household, I do sometimes end up with more fruit than we can eat before it goes bad. Below are some of my favorite “fruit rescue” recipes.
Fruit Salad
This is my all-time favorite go-to for using up fruit. It makes a LOT, but feel free to customize the amount of ingredients for your household (double if you are serving a crowd).
2 Medium-Sized Yellow Peaches, peeled and sliced
2 Medium-Sized Yellow Nectarines, peeled and sliced
1 Medium-Sized Honey Mango, peeled and sliced
2 Small Cans Mandarin Oranges, juice drained
2 Cups Cut Pineapple Chunks (fresh or canned, juice drained)
1 Large Bunch (about 2-3 cups) Green Grapes (seedless)
2 Large, Ripe Bananas
1 Basket of Strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
1 Cup Vanilla Yogurt
¼ Tsp Orange Extract (or ¼ cup of fresh orange juice plus 1 Tsp fresh orange zest)
1 ½ – 2 Cups Whipped Cream/Whipped Topping
Mix all the fruit in a large bowl. Add the yogurt, orange extract, and whipped cream, and gently fold into the fruit until well-combined. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours before serving.
Note: Other fruits such as blueberries, fresh oranges, apples, pears, blackberries, plums, and cherries can also be used in this recipe. Other flavors of yogurt such as peach, cherry, or raspberry work beautifully in this salad too.
The Last Peach on the Counter Refrigerator Jam
Sometimes the sweetest recipes aren’t planned. They’re born because five peaches on the counter were one day away from becoming compost. This makes two small jars of jam.
3 to 4 cups peeled, chopped peaches
¾–1 cup sugar* (taste your peaches first – – I usually start lower)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh is best)
½ teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
*I use unrefined cane sugar, which gives the jam a lovely caramel note and a beautiful amber color.
Combine everything in a saucepan and let it sit for about 15 minutes, so the peaches begin releasing their juices.
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a lively simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. As the peaches soften, mash them with a potato masher or the back of a spoon to the texture you like. When it coats the back of a spoon and leaves a trail when you drag your spoon through the pan, it’s ready.
Pour into clean jars and refrigerate once cooled. It’ll keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator, or you can freeze it for several months.
Note: This recipe freezes beautifully. If summer gives you one last basket of peaches, don’t let them go to waste. Your future biscuits will thank you.
Elegant and Impressive Fruit & Pudding Cups
There are so many ways you can change this recipe up – – don’t be afraid to experiment!
1 Family-Sized Box of Jello French Vanilla Pudding Mix (NOT instant – – you want the kind you have to cook)
3 Cups of Milk (Whole or 2% – NOT fat free)
1 Basket of Fresh Blackberries
1 Basket of Fresh Raspberries
Fresh Mint Leaves and Lemon Peel Curls
4 Large Wine Goblets
Gently rinse the berries in water, then place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure they are separated and not clumped together. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for at least two hours before serving.
When ready to serve, mix together the frozen blackberries and raspberries in a bowl. Using a ladle, fill each wine goblet about half-way with berries.
In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk the pudding mix and milk together so that no lumps remain. Follow the directions on the box for cooking the pudding. When the pudding is done cooking, immediately ladle hot pudding over the frozen berries in each wine goblet, filling to the top. The hot pudding hitting the frozen berries will make the fruit burst, releasing beautifully colored ribbons of juice.
Top each goblet with a few berries, a sprig of mint leaf, and a lemon peel curl. Serve immediately.
Variations: Banana Pudding – line plastic cups with vanilla wafers and sliced bananas, then ladle the pudding over the top. Top with a vanilla wafer and a slice of banana. Chocolate Strawberry Delight – Line glasses or cups with brownie pieces and sliced strawberries (use chocolate pudding instead of vanilla). Top with a dollop of whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Cherry Amaretto Parfaits – Use those cherries before they go bad! Pit the cherries, rinse, and place the cherries on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for at least 2 hours. Remove the cherries from the freezer, place into a bowl, and mix with about ¼ cup of Amaretto Disaronno. Follow the directions for the Elegant and Impressive Fruit & Pudding Cups and serve with almond-flavored cookies or pound cake.
Categorized in: General
| << previous | next >> |