Yes, the children are back to school and most of us are back to work but outside, summer is far from over, with some of the best weather still to come.
Stone fruit is at its peak right now as many Central Otago roadside stalls attest.
Impossible to drive past, they are a reminder of just how good summer fruit is and how spoilt we are at this time of year.
The last of our blackcurrants have just been picked and as good as they may be in smoothies, ice cream and jam, for a true flavour bomb use them in a simple blackcurrant souffle.
Stunning!
Crumble is always a hit, so a plum crumble cake is going to be a winner whether for morning tea or a sneaky late-night snack, and a roast peach tart is as delicious as it is easy to make.
Effortless baking in the extreme, perfect for those last late summer night feasts with friends as the sun finally begins to dip over the hills.
Another gorgeous summer rolls on and we are even winning the cricket!
Blackcurrant souffle with lemon ice cream
Serves 4
Ingredients
Souffle
canola spray
160g creme patissiere
160ml blackcurrant puree
4 free-range egg whites
2 Tbsp caster sugar
Creme patissiere
180ml full-cream milk
40g caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
1 level tsp plain flour
2 free-range egg yolks
1 tsp butter
Blackcurrant puree
Makes 500ml
1kg blackcurrants
1 cup caster sugar
Lemon ice cream
Makes 1 litre
5 large lemons
150g caster sugar
400ml milk
400ml cream
2 pinches salt
Method
Heat oven to 190degC.
Liberally grease 4 medium ramekins with canola spray and dust with caster sugar.
Whisk blackcurrant puree and creme patissiere together in an electric mixer until smooth.
In a separate bowl or electric mixer, whisk egg whites to a soft peak before adding caster sugar and continuing to whisk for a further minute.
Gently fold egg whites into the blackcurrant mixture until just incorporated.
Divide between ramekins, scrape off excess mixture with the back of a knife to level the tops and place in oven for 6 to 7 minutes.
Souffles should jump by 2cm to 3cm above the rim of the ramekin and slightly brown around the edges. Be careful not to overcook, however, or they will collapse.
Serve immediately with lemon ice cream.
Creme patissiere
Place milk in a heavy-based saucepan with half of the sugar and bring to the boil over a medium to high heat.
Whisk remaining sugar, corn flour, flour and yolks together in a separate bowl until pale and smooth.
Whisk hot milk into the egg mixture then return mixture to the saucepan and bring to the boil.
Reduce to a low heat and cook for a further minute, stirring continuously.
Remove from heat, stir in butter and reserve until ready to use.
Creme patissiere will keep in the refrigerator for one week.
Blackcurrant puree
Place blackcurrants and sugar in a small pot and warm over a medium heat until the juices start to run and sugar is dissolved.
Pass through a sieve or mouli and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three weeks.
Lemon ice cream Zest three lemons and place zest with caster sugar in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Juice all five lemons, add to the food processor to combine with sugar.
Add milk and cream to the processor and briefly blend to combine.
Churn in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.
Best eaten within two or three weeks.
Plum crumble cake
Serves 12
Ingredients
2kg plums
2 cups standard sugar
200g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
5 free-range eggs
250g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
75ml milk
200g plain flour
150g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
90g soft brown sugar
50g ground almonds
50g flaked almonds
good pinch of salt
Method
Heat oven to 200degC.
Halve and stone plums and place them on a roasting tray with sides.
Sprinkle 2 cups of sugar over the top of the plums and roast in oven until plums are soft and sugar has dissolved into the plum juice.
Remove plums from oven and allow to cool.
Lightly grease a 28cm cake tin with removable base with canola spray or butter, line with baking paper, then place cake tin on a baking tray.
Cream butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, then fold in flour and milk until just combined.
Spread cake batter over the bottom of the cake tin.
Pulse flour and cold butter in a food processor until incorporated.
Using your hands, fold in brown sugar, almonds and salt into the flour and butter mixture.
Rub crumble together until it just starts to clump, then reserve to one side.
Strain off and reserve excess juice from roast plums.
Place plums on top of cake batter, then cover with the crumble topping.
Reduce oven temperature to 170degC and bake for 1½ to 2 hours or until cake batter is just cooked.
To test, use a knife to make a small cut in the centre of the cake to look into as plums will prevent a skewer test from being accurate.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 hour before serving with a vanilla bean ice cream and juices from the plums.
Roast peach tart
Serves 8
Ingredients
1kg peaches, halved and stones removed
¾ cup caster sugar
2½ Tbsp cornflour
2 tsp vanilla extract
20g butter
2 tbsps caster sugar, for sprinkling
Pastry
250g plain flour
2 Tbsp caster sugar
180g unsalted cold butter, cut into cubes
5 Tbsp very cold water
Method
Heat oven to 170degC. To make pastry, process flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add cold water and process until pastry starts to come together.
Turn out on to a lightly floured benchtop and work into a ball. Roll out pastry to a 40cm circle, then transfer on to a baking paper-lined oven tray.
Mix peaches, sugar, cornflour and vanilla together and arrange in the centre of the pastry, leaving a 6cm border.
Fold pastry edges inwards towards the centre of the tart.
Dot peaches with butter, brush pastry with water, then sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.
• Bevan and Monique Smith own the multi-award-winning Riverstone Kitchen. Situated on State Highway 1 in North Otago, just south of the Waitaki bridge, they are open Thursday-Monday from 9am-5pm, and also from 6pm from Thursday to Sunday.
