Saveur.com: Daily Fare

Recipes for Peaches, Plums and Apricots
Cherry Tomato-Vanilla Bean Preserves
Preserve the Season: Apricot Fruit Salsa
12 Easy Crostini Recipes

Posted: 26 Jul 2013 09:40 AM PDT

Walk through any market in midsummer, and you'll find it filled with the sweet aroma of stone fruits. Sweet and juicy peaches, apricots, and plums are a sticky, happy snack eaten out of hand, but they truly shine in this array of seasonal dishes, from a refreshing gin-spiked fizz to apricot-studded grape leaves to a traditional peach cobbler.

See 16 apricot, peach, and plum recipes in the gallery »

Cherry Tomato-Vanilla Bean Preserves

Posted: 26 Jul 2013 06:00 AM PDT

MAKES 2 CUPS

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. powdered pectin

1 pint red cherry tomatoes, halved crosswise

½ of a vanilla bean

1 tbsp. lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine 1 tbsp. sugar with powdered pectin. Set aside.

2. In a nonreactive bowl, combine the remaining sugar with the cherry tomatoes. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add them to the tomatoes and sugar along with the bean itself. Toss until the tomatoes are evenly coated with the sugar and vanilla. Cover and let macerate for 30 minutes until most of the sugar is dissolved and the tomatoes have released their juices. Pour the mixture into a nonreactive pot and place over medium high heat. Let come up to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the tomatoes reduce to about ¾ of its original volume, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming any foam off the top.

3. Stir in the lemon juice; then whisk in the pectin mixture well to avoid any clumps. Let simmer for another 5 minutes to cook the pectin.

4. Let cool and refrigerate or follow instructions for canning to preserve for the winter. Fills 2 8-oz. jars.

Preserve the Season: Apricot Fruit Salsa

Posted: 25 Jul 2013 12:30 AM PDT

by Karen Solomon
Although my San Francisco Mission District neighborhood is brimming with excellent Mexican food, and California is responsible for about 95% of all apricots grown in the United States, apricot salsa-and fruit salsa, in general-is surprisingly hard to come by. Wandering my favorite haunts in search of the spicy, tangy condiment, I quickly realized that I would have to make my own.

First made popular in the U.S. in the Tex Mex wave of the early 90's, fruit salsas are most often made with ripe mango or pineapple, which might be one reason they tend to have a bad rap for being too sweet, bringing to mind that once-ubiquitous giant sombrero serving bowl. But when prepared with an eye to balanced flavors, apricot salsa is not only delicious and refreshing, but a natural vehicle for the fruit's ripe acidity and bright color. And if you've already stocked your pantry full of summer jam like me, it's a great way to extend not just the shelf life, but the usability, of stone fruit in the colder months to come.

The best condiments pull your taste buds in two directions simultaneously-sour and sweet, hot and cooling-and you will find that contrast inside this jar. There's a lot to be said for the complementary and balancing flavors of sweet, aromatic fruit and tangy vinegar. Add a bit of chile fire, potency from onion, and a bit of freshness from mint and the classic cilantro, and you've got a bold, bright salsa that's perfect alongside grilled pork chops, drizzled atop fish tacos, or simply as a dip for tortilla chips-comically oversized Mexican hat purely optional.

See the recipe for Apricot Salsa with Mint »

Karen Solomon is the author of the forthcoming Asian Pickles (Ten Speed Press); Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It; and Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It.

12 Easy Crostini Recipes

Posted: 24 Jul 2013 10:30 PM PDT

Italian for "little toasts", crostini make versatile appetizers. Indulge your sweet tooth with a smear of ricotta and a drizzle of honey, or pile on artichokes or sardines for a savory snack.

See 12 easy crostini ideas in the gallery »

Today Recipe

Pages

Friday, July 26, 2013