As this long hot summer rolls on, so too does the amazing fruit on offer. Roadside stalls groan with ripe peaches, apricots and nectarines.
While the dry conditions have certainly frazzled the countryside, they have also resulted in superb fruit quality.
Heading over to Central Otago and loading up the car with boxes of fruit is a bit of a family ritual for us.
And why not!
Amazing produce, value for money and a great day trip in a stunning part of the world thrown into the bargain.
Love it!
Other late summer favourites such as fresh figs are sent down by friends further north and are met with equal anticipation.
For the next couple of weeks the children are simply in heaven.
Poached fruit for dessert, open roast fig tarts at weekend gatherings, or a slice of apricot frangipane for afternoon tea.
Between that and the amount that goes missing from the fruit bowl, it is a wonder any ends up making it into a jam or chutney jar at all!
• Bevan and Monique Smith own Riverstone Kitchen, runner-up Best Regional Restaurant in the 2014 Cuisine Good Food Awards. He is also author of Riverstone Kitchen: recipes from a chef's garden and Riverstone Kitchen Simple. Situated on SH1 in North Otago, just south of the Waitaki bridge, they are open Thursday-Monday from 9am-5pm, and also from 6pm Thursday to Sunday, but closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Apricot tart
Serves 10
Ingredients
1 recipe sweet shortcrust pastry, blind-baked
250g butter
250g caster sugar
250g ground almonds
4 free-range eggs
1 tsp real vanilla essence
50g plain flour
400g small ripe apricots, halved and stones removed
vanilla bean ice cream to serve
Sweet shortcrust pastry
Makes a 28cm pastry case
175g unsalted butter, room temperature
75g icing sugar
2 free-range egg yolks
250g plain flour
1 Tbsp cold water
Method
Heat oven to 160degC. Cream butter, sugar and ground almonds in a mixing bowl until light and pale. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla essence and flour and mix well. Spread frangipane mix over the pastry base with a spatula and lightly press apricots into the mixture. Place in oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and just set. Allow to cool and serve with vanilla bean ice cream.
Sweet shortcrust pastry
Place all ingredients in a mixing machine bowl and mix together until just combined. Remove pastry from bowl, roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight. Preheat oven to 180degC. Unwrap pastry, slice thinly and press into a 28cm fluted tart mould with a baking-paper-lined removable base. Ensure pastry is evenly and thinly spread, about 2mm thick. Remove excess pastry from around edges. Refrigerate pastry base for 10 minutes before lining with a sheet of baking paper. Fill with baking beans and blind bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before removing beans.
Poached summer fruit with milk gelato
Serves 4
Ingredients
200g caster sugar
200ml water
tip of a tsp vanilla bean paste
600g mixed summer stone fruit, halved and stones removed
200g mixed berries
milk gelato to serve
Milk gelato
(makes 1 litre)
600ml full cream milk
200ml cream
50g milk powder
150g liquid glucose
70g caster sugar
Method
Place sugar, water and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Add stone fruit, reduce heat and simmer until fruit is soft, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add berries and allow to cool. Spoon poached fruit between four bowls and serve with milk gelato. Spare poaching liquor may be used in smoothies or the next batch of poached fruit.
Milk gelato
Place all ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan and stir over a medium to high heat. Heat to 80degC (use a heatproof thermometer to test the temperature) then remove from heat, transfer to a stainless steel bowl and refrigerate until completely cold. Churn in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.
Open roast fig tart
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 open tart pastry
1kg ripe figs
1 cup caster sugar
2½ Tbsp cornflour
2 tsp vanilla extract
20g butter
2 Tbsp caster sugar, for sprinkling
Open tart pastry
250g plain flour
2 Tbsp caster sugar
180g unsalted cold butter, cut into cubes
5 Tbsp cold water
Method
Heat oven to 180degC. Remove stalks from figs and cut in half. Place figs in a large bowl with half of the sugar, cornflour and vanilla and toss together lightly. Arrange fruit mix in the centre of the pastry, leaving a 6cm border. Fold pastry edges inwards towards the centre of the tart. Dot figs with butter, brush pastry with water, then sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.
Open tart pastry
To make pastry, process flour, sugar and butter together in a food processor until mix resembles breadcrumbs. Add cold water and process until pastry starts to come together. Turn out on to a lightly floured bench top and work into a ball. Roll out pastry to a 40cm circle then transfer on to a baking-paper-lined oven tray.
