Like sunshine and ice cream, stone fruit captures the essence of the season.
Every year someone in the family will make the pilgrimage to Central Otago - New Zealand's stonefruit capital - returning, overloaded, with boxes of ripe fruit.
Thanks to a particularly hot, dry summer, this year's harvest has been fantastic. Clutha Gold apricots, Flamecrest peaches and Fantasia nectarines are all available now and are good for both eating and preserving.
Bottled fruit is a great way of taking advantage of cheaper fruit and most growers will have seconds available if you ask.
Whether it's a golden peach, a sun-kissed apricot, plump black cherries or the plums off the tree in the back yard, we are spoilt for choice at this time of year. Bursting with flavour and succulent juices, finding a way to use stone fruit is easy.
Roasting stonefruit is perhaps the simplest and tastiest way to use ripe fruit. Served on either sourdough or brioche, with natural yoghurt or ice cream, this versatile dessert makes for perfect summer eating.
An open apricot pie is quick to put together and gets a great reaction every time. Swimming in their own juices, this dish can be served either hot or cold and if you don't have apricots on hand, red plums are a good substitute. Who said comfort food was only for winter.
Unfortunately cherries are just about finished but, for me, they are the highlight of the stonefruit season. If you do happen to find some, grab them quickly.
Best eaten on the day they are picked, cherries are also easy to preserve and they freeze well. A black cherry parfait is a stylish end to any meal and a great way to hang on to those lazy days of summer.
To make pastry, process flour, sugar and butter together in a food processor until mix resembles breadcrumbs.
Add cold water and process until pastry forms a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 20min. Preheat oven to 200degC. Roll out pastry to a 40cm circle (tip: roll out between two sheets of clingfilm and it will be easier to handle).
Mix apricots, vanilla and sugar together and arrange in centre of pastry leaving a 6cm border. Fold pastry edges over towards the centre. Dot apricots with butter, brush pastry with water and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 40 minutes or until golden.
Roasted stonefruit
Serves 6.
3 peaches, 4 nectarines, 6 apricots, 6 plums, 50g unsalted butter, 250g caster sugar, seeds from 1 vanilla pod (or 1 Tbsp vanilla essence), 6 slices sourdough or brioche, natural yoghurt or quality vanilla ice cream.
Halve fruit and mix together in large bowl with sugar and vanilla. Arrange fruit on sourdough or brioche slices on a lined baking tray. Sprinkle with a little extra sugar and a knob of butter. Roast in 200degC oven for 20min or until fruit is soft and golden. Serve
with natural yoghurt or ice cream.
Pit cherries and place in a heavy-based pot with 250g sugar and a cup of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer on low heat for 30min or until fruit is very soft. Pulse in food processor for 30sec, then return to pot and reduce further until thick, stirring often.
Allow to cool. Line a terrine mould with clingfilm, leaving an overhang. Put sugar and 125ml water into a saucepan on low heat. Bring to boil and simmer for 5min or until syrup reaches 116degC. Whisk egg yolks until pale and thick.
While still whisking, drizzle in the sugar syrup. Continue whisking until mixture is cool. Whisk cream until soft peaks form then carefully fold into cooled egg yolk mixture.
Pour cherry puree and parfait mixture alternately in several layers. Cover with overhanging clingfilm and freeze overnight. Serve with fresh cherries and biscotti.
