This exceptional apricot soufflé recipe comes to us from Café Jacqueline in San Francisco, a cozy bistro that serves homestyle French fare in a chandeliered dining room. Of proprietor Jacqueline Margulis’s many delectable soufflés, this is our favorite, especially come late spring and summer, when fresh apricots are in season. The soufflé will begin to fall the moment it’s pulled from the oven, but any change in appearance won’t affect the taste. 

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Grandmas Project, a heartwarming film series devoted to uplifting grandmothers and their food traditions around the world, introduced us to these old-school Croatian plum dumplings. The recipe comes to us from Dragica Karazija, who lives in Zagreb and was filmed by her granddaughter Iva Radivojevic. Dragica omits the sugarcube in her version, but we find it adds welcome sweetness. Apricots are also traditional and may be used instead of the plums.

The post Knedle (Croatian Plum Dumplings) appeared first on Saveur.

Ripe plums in the icebox signal the coming of autumn, when peaches peter out of our fruit bowls to be replaced by the deep purple stone fruit. This time of year, they’re juicy enough to be eaten fresh, baked into pies and crisps, or simmered into jams. 

In many cultures, plums symbolize hope and strength. Japanese umeboshi are tucked into onigiri (rice balls). Li hing mui from China are popular crack seed store snacks in Honolulu and, in powdered form, a sweet-tart addition to tropical cocktails. In the Balkans, locals sip slivovitz, a plum-based spirit that is especially revered in Serbia, where it’s the quintessential toast on Slava, the Orthodox Christian feast day honoring each family’s patron saint. Pickled plums are an essential ingredient in chamoy, the Mexican condiment drizzled on fruit cups, paletas, and mangonadas. Plums also pair beautifully with roasted meats, and add tartness to salads. And who can resist the damsons baked into pies and other sweet, syrupy treats?   

These are our favorite plum recipes—the ones we sip, bake, and brûlée whenever we’re feeling (or want to feel) plummy.

Plum Galette

This rustic tart adapted from Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Café Cookbook calls for a combination of plums and pluots (fragrant apricot-plum hybrids), but it’s equally comforting when made with one or the other stone fruit. Get the recipe >

Plum Shrub

Add a splash of this tart liqueur by Girl Meets Dirt founder Audra Lawlor to any fizzy seltzer, or to a tequila-lime cooler. Get the recipe >

Rye Crêpes with Black Plum Flambée

In this old-school dessert, barrel-aged plum eau-de-vie infuses the caramelized fruit, which is set ablaze and spooned over warm rye crêpes. Get the recipe >

Brûléed Plums with Armagnac Custard

Tiny Italian plums have a dark-berry sweetness that pairs wonderfully with this simple, French-inspired Armagnac custard. Get the recipe >

Peach and Plum Salad

Red wine vinegar balances the sweetness of ripe peaches and plums in this easy fruit salad. Try it with finger-licking fried chicken. Get the recipe >

Plum Pie

The secret to author Wendy Drummond’s prize-winning pie is good old-fashioned grape jelly. The gooey filling is intensely sweet, just right with a dollop of ice cream. Get the recipe >

Plum and Raspberry Jam

This delicate preserve redolent of mulling spices is adapted from a recipe by Camilla Wynne’s Jam Bake: Inspired Recipes for Creating and Baking with Preserves. Get the recipe >

Roast Duck with Plums

A rich plum sauce infused with cloves and cinnamon enlivens crisp roast duck in this Bavarian-style recipe. Get the recipe >

Fig, Plum and Prosciutto Salad

This recipe layers ripe figs and plums with Hungarian sonka, a hammy cousin to prosciutto, and creamy Emmi Kaltbach Le Crémeux cheese. Get the recipe >

Plum Blackberry Lattice Pie

Instead of standard vanilla, use fragrant almond extract as a flavor booster in this classic fruit pie. Get the recipe >

Pickled Stone Fruit and Burrata Flatbread

Schilling Restaurant and Bar is locally famous for this Austrian-style grilled flatbread stacked with pickled peaches and plums. Get the recipe >

The post We’re Plum Crazy About These 11 Recipes appeared first on Saveur.

The last sprint of summer brings a glut of phenomenally flavorful peaches, the likes of which are elusive the rest of the year. Yellow varieties, which are best for baking, are sweet and tart in equal measure, while white types—and their smushed little cousins, doughnut (aka saturn) peaches—boast a floral, more honeyed flavor that sings in salads and all things savory. 

When shopping for peaches to cook with, seek out freestones—as opposed to clingstones—for their easy-to-remove pits. To soften under-ripe peaches, toss them in a closed paper bag with a banana for a day. (Bananas give off ethylene gas, a natural ripening agent.) Overripe peaches, on the other hand, are a delightful kitchen conundrum—as if we needed an excuse to whip up a batch of peach jam, chutney, or sauce for vanilla ice cream.

To those who think of peaches as a dessert-only ingredient: free yourselves! The fruit is rave-worthy in a range of savory dishes. Grilled until beginning to soften, then wrapped in prosciutto or topped with cheese, peaches become a stellar summer appetizer that’s oh-là-là elegant yet virtually effortless.

However you choose to use up the season’s bounty, keep these recipes in your back pocket for ideas and inspiration. 

Summer Peach Pie

Bourbon, cinnamon, and nutmeg add warmth to this summery peach pie enveloped in flaky, buttery crust. Get the recipe >

Grilled Pizza with Peaches, Prosciutto, and Arugula

We love the combination of late-summer peaches with prosciutto, pecorino, and peppery fresh arugula. Get the recipe >

Peach Sorbet

Go for the gold with ripe yellow peaches and aromatic lemon verbena in this velvety seasonal sorbet. Get the recipe >

Peach Cobbler

Chicago chef Barry Sorkin has a bold claim about peach cobbler: “It’s kind of like a fruit cup. You could almost argue it’s breakfast food.” No objection, Your Honor. Get the recipe > 

Roasted Peaches in Bourbon Syrup with Smoked Salt

A handful of pantry ingredients—brown sugar, smoked salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and bourbon—transforms simple roasted peaches into a sublime summer dessert. Get the recipe >

Pickled Stone Fruit and Burrata Flatbread

A light vegetarian lunch, or perhaps a savory summer starter, this sweet-and-salty flatbread is all about the caramelized peaches with grill marks. Get the recipe >

Peach Ice Cream

Creamy, pale orange ice cream flavored with overripe peaches is a heavenly summer treat. Get the recipe >

Green Bean and Peach Salad

Crisp, briny green beans are the perfect foil for peach slices and caramelized onions in this salad that comes to us from Kansas. Get the recipe >

Peach-Raspberry Pie

A warm, gooey pie of blushing peaches and raspberries makes a stunning centerpiece at any summer gathering. Get the recipe >

The post Make the Most of Peach Season with These 9 To-Die-For Recipes appeared first on Saveur.

When it comes to summer produce, the apricot tends to hover under the radar. Compared to peaches, plums, and cherries, this petite and velvety stone fruit just doesn’t get much attention. But with its perfect balance of juicy sweetness and bright acidity, we believe it’s undeservedly underrated. 

Fresh apricots from the market need no adornment, but their fragrant flesh really shines when added to either sweet or savory recipes. While only in season for a short time, these fruits happen to dehydrate particularly well, allowing their musky-sweet flavor to last through the colder months. The dried fruit may be tucked into lunchboxes for an on-the-go snack, or tossed with granola or mixed nuts for a luxurious pop of sunny sweetness. They can even be added to dishes like roast pork or chicken, which are only elevated by these honeyed jewels of dried apricot, reconstituted in a pool of savory pan drippings.

Don’t want to sacrifice any of that tart amber nectar? Buy ripe apricots by the bushel and try simmering them into a jam, chutney, or sauce. Sealed into jars, the lush summer sweetness will carry you through even the dreariest of Decembers.

Dried Apricot and Fig Clafoutis with Rum

Clafoutis is a French dessert that’s trickier to pronounce than to make. Rum-soaked dried apricots, figs, and raisins add their caramelized and honeyed flavors to this creamy version, perfect for cold weather when there’s no fresh fruit around. Get the recipe for Dried Apricot and Fig Clafoutis with Rum »

Goat Cheese and Apricot Truffles

This layered no-cook appetizer from former test kitchen assistant Eliza Martin features a sweet core of dried apricot coated in tangy goat cheese and then rolled in a savory mixture of crushed pistachios and fresh herbs. The finger-friendly “truffles” can be made up to 2 days before serving and stored in the refrigerator, making them the perfect hors d’oeuvres for the busy host or hostess. Get the recipe for Goat Cheese and Apricot Truffles »

Apricot Almond Tart

A combination of all-purpose and potato flours gives this simple summer tart a delicate, crumbly crust. Plums, peaches, or berries can be substituted for apricots. Get the recipe for Apricot Almond Tart »

Apricot Salsa with Mint

Apricots’ ripe acidity lend themselves well to this cooked fruit salsa, seriously tangy and sweet. Get the recipe for Apricot Salsa with Mint »

Hyperion

This riff on the classic cocktail the Titan (scotch, dry vermouth, apricot liqueur, white crème de cacao, orange bitters) swaps out vermouth for the fruitier Bolivian spirit singani. Get the recipe for Hyperion »

Apricot and Currant Chicken

The apricots and currants used in this dish add just the right amount of sweetness. Get the recipe for Apricot and Currant Chicken »

Orchard and Vine

This elegant pisco cocktail comes from Meaghan Dorman of New York’s Raines Law Room. Get the recipe for Orchard and Vine »

Homemade Granola

Homemade Granola with Apricots, Blueberries, and Almonds. Get the recipe for Homemade Granola »

Grape Leaves Stuffed with Rice (Dolma)

This recipe for stuffed grape leaves uses both lemon juice and zest to enhance the flavor of the stuffing. Get the recipe for Grape Leaves Stuffed with Rice (Dolma) »

Grilled Sangria

Whether it’s juicing grilled limes into margaritas, charring tomatoes for bloody marys, or making this reimagined sangria with caramelized fruits, grilling your drinks will add smoky depth to every sip. Get the recipe for Grilled Sangria »

Apricot Blossom

This surprisingly balanced cocktail offers up layers of fruit, spice, and sweetness, with a hint of vanilla from the rum. Get the recipe for Apricot Blossom »

Curried Tuna Sandwich

Currants and chopped dried apricots bring sweetness to curried tuna salad, which we like to serve on folded naan. Get the recipe for Curried Tuna Sandwich »

Apricot and Almond Sauce

This fruity purée is great swirled into ice cream or spooned atop pancakes or toast. Get the recipe for Apricot and Almond Sauce »

Apricot Cake

This simple sour cream cake is brightened by lemon zest and dotted with ripe apricot halves that cook down to intense tangy sweetness in the oven. Get the recipe for Apricot Cake »

Apricot Rice Drink (Horchata de Chabacano)

When apricots are in season, use them to make this velvety-rich version of horchata. You can also substitute peaches or nectarines—when it’s not stone fruit season, the fresh-frozen variety work just as well. Get the recipe for Apricot Rice Drink »

Hamantaschen (Jewish Holiday Cookies)

These cookies are traditionally served on the Jewish holiday of Purim, although they make a great snack year round. Get the recipe for Hamantaschen (Jewish Holiday Cookies) »

Sindhi Biryani (Spiced Goat and Rice Pilaf)

The recipe for this spiced rice dish from Pakistan’s Sindh province was given to us by Karachi home cook Najma Awan. Get the recipe for Spiced Goat and Rice Pilaf (Sindhi Biryani) »

Roast Pork with Sinner Stuffing

A generous pour of bourbon is the secret to this juicy pork loin’s sweet fruit stuffing. Get the recipe for Roast Pork with Sinner Stuffing »

Spiced Buttermilk Oatmeal With Dried Fruit and Pecans

Spices including cardamom, star anise, and ginger jazz up a morning oatmeal. Mix the dry ingredients ahead of time for an easier camp-side breakfast. Get the recipe for Spiced Buttermilk Oatmeal with Dried Fruit and Pecans »

Coronation Chicken Salad

Made for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation lunch, in 1953, this curry powder- and mango chutney-laced chicken salad has been wildly popular in Britain ever since. Get the recipe for Coronation Chicken Salad »

The post Make the Most of Apricots, the Hidden Jewels of Stone Fruit Season appeared first on Saveur.

In the past month, I’ve traveled from L.A. to the Catskills to Rome to, finally Hungary, where we welcomed the first taste of fall in the lush countryside. The flavors of my travels mingle effortlessly, but if there’s been one constant, it’s the grazing of melons, stone fruits, and figs—sun-ripened and dripping with juices—with the deep umami satisfaction of cured meat and cheese.

In Los Angeles, we ate peaches and burrata on pizza, laced with brick-red ‘nduja. In Rome, there were achingly sweet melons, piled with prosciutto, ribboned and unctuous. And in Hungary, where we make peace with summer’s passing, we layer figs and plums in heaps on a platter with sonka (Hungarian ham) or prosciutto, and our favorite of all creamy cheeses—Emmi Kaltbach Le Crémeux.

There are no wrong turns in this choose-your-own adventure. The meat could be any cured ham (prosciutto, Black Forest ham, jamón). The fruits need to only be ripe and fresh, tender-fleshed and sweet. For the greens, young basil and sorrel leaves are right at home, but a sprinkling of radicchio or watercress is welcome here, too. Drizzle the whole thing with extra-virgin olive oil—your best—plus Maldon salt and freshly cracked pepper. For il tocco finale, as the Italians would say, shave over creamy, cave-aged Emmi Kaltbach Le Crémeux cheese.

I love Kaltbach Le Crémeux’s just-salty-enough finish, but it’s the tender meltability that draws me to it here. It’s the kind of texture that will soften into the fruit in the warm autumn sun as you wait for friends to gather. Be generous, but keep your shavings melt-in-the-mouth thin.

The post Fig, Plum, and Prosciutto Salad with Kaltbach Le Crémeux Cheese appeared first on Saveur.

Peaches scream hot American summer, and this sweet fruit’s juices are enhanced with a little kick by the black pepper and a touch of egg white, giving a beautiful smooth mouth feel. Cocktail recipe by Joann Spiegel from The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog in NYC.

The post Lady Suffolk appeared first on Saveur.

Stone fruits are a summer necessity, and though we love to eat a juicy peach or plum right off the tree, we also cook with them every chance we get. There are plenty of options for plum and peach pies, as well as a fantastic cobbler that you could probably even eat for breakfast if you want (we’ll never tell). Or if you want to avoid working on pies in a hot kitchen, try an easy nectarine salad or a refreshing peach ice cream. No matter what you pick, you can’t go wrong with these perfect summer stone fruit recipes.

Blackberry-Plum Lattice Pie

Plum Pie

Burnt Peaches and Plums with Mascarpone and Hazelnuts

Seared Apricot Ginger Cooler

Blueberry, Nectarine and Shiso Salad

Green Bean and Peach Salad

Summer Peach Pie

Grilled Halloumi and Cherry Salad

Peach Ice Cream

Brûléed Italian Plums with Armagnac Custard

Rock ‘N’ Rye Peach Jam

Peach and Plum Salad

Plum, White Chocolate, and Tarragon Parfait

Pickled Stone Fruit and Burrata Flatbread

Grilled Peach with Rosemary, Smoked Country Ham, and Toasted Pistachios

Phillippine Fruit Salad

Tomato-Nectarine Chutney

Apricot Salsa with Mint

Cherry Old Fashioned

Cherry Tomato and Cherry Cobbler

Apricot and Currant Chicken

The post 23 Peach and Plum Recipes That Scream Summer appeared first on Saveur.

Brûléed Italian Plums with Armagnac Custard

Blackberry-Plum Lattice Pie

Plum Pie

Plum-Basil Gin Fizz

Peach Plum Salad

Pickled Stone Fruit and Burrata Flatbread

Roast Duck with Plums

Grilled Pound Cake with Basil-Plum Compote

Stone Fruit Rosé Sangria

The post 10 Plum Recipes for Stone Fruit Season appeared first on Saveur.

A Virginia girl turned West Coaster, I lust after muggy July evenings when the honeysuckle drips wet from a 5 p.m. thunderstorm. I miss the stone fruit: golden peaches pulsing with sweet nectar, creating puddles of syrup on the concrete as my brother and I take bites on the curb. Peaches like that are hard to come by, their enigmatic perfection native to Southern roots.

When I moved to California, I gloomily accepted the fate of a world where perfect peaches would be few and far between. And then I got lucky. On a seemingly humdrum afternoon in Venice Beach, a man wearing a shark tooth necklace offered me a free sample from a crate full of beautiful peaches. They were streaked with orange and red like a watercolor of Saturn. He cut the fruit with a pocket knife, and I sat on a wooden chair as he told me about the effects of the drought on this year’s peach crop. His shih tzu poodle, Lehua, lounged in the sun as we talked.

“The farmers are really struggling,” Phil, who calls himself, “The Farm Guy,” said. “Every week, people are losing their access to water.”

It was clear that Phil’s peaches had gotten ample sunlight and water; they were bursting with a refreshing acidity. He’s a fruit distributor, meaning he collects the peaches from farms and then sells them to the hippies and start-uppers on Abbott Kinney. He mostly sources from Blum Ranch, a family-owned business in the San Joaquin Valley, located in the stretch of land between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and operated by Elizabeth and Ray Blum. They’ve still got enough access to water to produce high-quality peaches, but others aren’t so lucky.

The farms that are succeeding right now are the ones with multiple water sources or access to deep wells (large farms obtaining their water from sources outside of California water agencies have a bit more freedom). Unfortunately, smaller Southern California farms without these luxuries are suffering. As if the abnormally warm West Coast winters weren’t enough, new restrictions on California water laws are forcing farmers to cut back on using surface water for growing purposes. It’s the first water reduction mandate since 1977.

With a disposable grocery bag in tow, I drive my convertible out into the desert to visit one of the area’s surviving peach orchards to understand what makes it such a survivor. Brian Ranch Airport U-Pick Orchard, located in Llona and about an hour and a half northeast of Los Angeles, is one of the lucky ones. I find out later that this is because the orchard’s owner, Jeff, had the foresight to dig an abnormally deep well. It goes about 100 feet deep, ensuring Brian Ranch a hefty supply of groundwater.

The surrounding area is sparse, littered with a combination of peach and Joshua trees. I am greeted by Felice, Jeff’s wife and co-owner of Brian Ranch. She and Jeff originally started the place as an airport, fulfilling a dream that Jeff had been nurturing since childhood. In addition to the fruit trees, Brian Ranch specializes in ultralights and sports aircraft, and provides sport flight instruction for those interested in learning to fly. Their conditional use permit required that they also use the land for some form of agriculture; thus, the peach farm was born.

Chocolate lab by her side, Felice lists off the various peaches that line the orchard this summer. Since it’s early July, they’ve got the Nectar and Paradise, two white peaches, as well as the Suncrest, Delight, and Forty-Niners. When I tell Felice that I plan to try them all, she encourages me to conduct my tasting as if the peaches were cheese, beginning with the the mildest. How fancy! I think, until I realize I have no idea how to differentiate among peaches.

Felice tells me. The Nectar and Paradise resemble the cheeks of a Geisha, creamy and lightly powdered with blush. Their sweetness is gentle and their insides a clean white. The Suncrest, Delight, and Fortyniners are all yellow peaches, providing the highly sought-after “juice running down your face” effect. The Forty-Niners possess a dark orange interior, making them a superior choice for summer crisps and cobblers.

“Why do some grow best in July, and others in August?” I ask.

“Each variety has its time.” Felice says. “It’s cyclical.”

Felice’s touch must have something to do with it, too. After all, it’s over 100 degrees here, and she’s got trees so alive with produce I feel as if we’re driving a golf cart through the Garden of Eden.

“Most farms breed for transport,” She says. “But we strive for flavor.”

But in the middle of one of California’s worst droughts, how is it that these peaches remain so plump and adorable? I find out that size has a lot to do with it; the peaches are much smaller than the ones you would find in the supermarket. While Felice and Jeff are fortunate enough to have a steady supply of groundwater, they’re still rationing, which means a reliable crop of small peaches. This is a good thing: When you’ve got a smaller peach, its flavor is more concentrated.

These peaches are, essentially, heroes. They are small but mighty. They’re the Gloria Gaynors of the fruit world, belting “I Will Survive” and bursting like planets across the horizon. Now not only do I revel in their flavor; I respect their pilgrimage.

When I arrived home that afternoon, I spread my peaches across the kitchen table and followed Felice’s instruction for my own private peach tasting, beginning with the delicate Nectar and finishing with the dribble-inducing Fortyniners . My bites were mindful, far less greedy than the curbside peach feasts of my youth. I recognized the journey of each peach; they had fought their way through a blistering drought just for this very moment. In the desert of Southern California, there’s nothing more refreshing.

Amanda is a writer and photographer with a fondness for road trips, shoo-fly pie, and dive bars. You can find her roaming the highways or via the Internet at cozycaravan.com and @cozycaravan.

The post Hunting For Perfect Peaches in California appeared first on Saveur.