¼ cup loosely packed mint
3 Tb sugar
1 ¼ lb blackberries, raspberries or blueberries
3 firm-ripe medium peaches or nectarines, halved, pitted, and cut into 1/3-inch-thick wedges
½ lb seedless grapes (1 ½ cups), halved
Pulse mint and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Sprinkle mint sugar over fruit in a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
This relaxed dessert takes advantage of any mix-and-match of summer fruit.
1 ¾ cups dry red wine
½ cup water
¾ cup, plus 2 Tb sugar
6 strips orange peel
1 cinnamon stick
8 allspice berries
6 whole cloves
1 ¼ cups plain whole-milk yogurt
3 Tb honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups fruit, mixing any combination of pitted and sliced peaches, nectarines, and plums; apricot wedges; halved figs; raspberries, blackberries and blueberries; halved grapes; chunks of melons; pitted cherries
Mint sprigs, for garnish
In a medium saucepan (preferably enameled cast iron) over low heat, combine the red wine, water and sugar. Cover and heat until sugar has dissolved, 5 to 6 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the orange peel, cinnamon stick, allspice berries and cloves and bring to boil. Boil for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium to medium-high and allow the mixture to simmer rapidly for 6 to 7 minutes, or until reduced to 1 2/3 cups. Remove from heat and cool completely. Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer, into a container, discarding spices. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, honey and vanilla and mix until blended. Refrigerate.
Lightly toss the fruit in a large bowl with 2/3 cup of the syrup. Divide the mixture into 5 goblets or bowls. Spoon the remaining syrup over each portion. Top each with yogurt sauce and garnish with mint. Serves 5.
¾ lb brioche, challah, or egg bread
1 ½ lb peaches
¾ lb blackberries
½ cup sugar
3 tbsp brandy
Trim the crusts from the bread and if it has not been sliced, cut it in roughly 1/3-inch slices. Stack the slices and cut them in half diagonally to make triangles.
Line a 6-cup mold or bowl with plastic wrap. Make sure you have a small plate to fit just inside the rim of the bowl.
Piece together the bread slices in a single layer so they completely line the bowl. There should be no gaps but the fit doesn’t have to be exact – wherever the bread overlaps, simply press the edges together. Trim the bread where it comes over the top of the bowl.
Cut a shallow “X” in the base of each peach, and then dunk them in rapidly boiling water until the peel starts to come loose at the cut – about 20 seconds to 1 minute, depending on ripeness. Remove the peaches and run under cold water. The peels should slip off easily; if they don’t, return to the boiling water briefly. Pit the peaches and cut into chunks.
Combine peaches, blackberries, and sugar in a saucepan and warm over medium heat. Cook just until the fruit starts to soften and release its juices, 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in the brandy.
Spoon the fruit into the bowl; it should mound above the lip. Place a sheet of plastic wrap loosely over the top, then place a plate on top. Press gently and stack a heavy can on top. Refrigerate at least 12 hours.
When ready to serve, remove the plate and top layer of wrap. Place a serving plate on top of the bowl and invert so that pudding unmolds onto the plate, and remove the remaining plastic wrap.
Serves 6 to 8.
