Stroll through your local supermarket, or better yet, an outdoor farmers’ market and you will be overwhelmed by the seemingly endless rows of fresh summer fruit ripe for the picking.
Last week my daughter and I took our annual trip to a local strawberry farm where we picked more than 10 pounds of plump, juicy berries. And much like she did last year my preschooler devoured nearly an entire quart’s worth of strawberries in the field. (When I called out to her while she strolled between our designated rows and asked if she was putting the strawberries in her container she swiftly replied: “Container? What container? I put them in my mouth.”) Of course, she’s not alone. I don’t think there was a single person out in the fields that day who could resist eating a few of the perfectly ripe berries. (The man sitting next to me on the tractor ride back to barn suggested that the farmer weigh all of us before we were dropped off in the field and then again when we returned in order to recoup his lost profits.)
But it’s not just strawberries that are in their prime during the warm weather months, blueberries, peaches and cherries are also part of summer’s bountiful harvest. The following recipes offer wonderful ways to incorporate the colorful and flavorful fruits into everyday dishes.
GRILLED CHICKEN WITH PEACHES
Ingredients:
4 to 8 ripe peaches, cut in half and pitted
2 cups peach preserves
1/4 cup peach nectar
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 small jalapeno, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 whole chicken cut up
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons chives or scallions, chopped
Directions:
Preheat grill.
Combine peach preserves, peach nectar, garlic, olive oil, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, and jalapeno in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Brush the chicken with canola oil and season with salt and pepper.
Grill chicken. During the last minutes of grilling brush both sides of chicken with the peach glaze and continue cooking an additional 4 to 5 minutes.
Place peach halves, cut side down on the grill and grill for 2 minutes. Turn over and brush with peach glaze, grill for 3 to 4 more minutes until peaches are soft.
Serve chicken on a big platter with grilled peaches.
Garnish with parsley and chives, or scallions.
CHICKEN AND CHERRY SALAD
Ingredients:
4 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, diced
1 cup fresh cherries, diced
1 cup diced celery
1/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
Directions:
Combine ingredients and refrigerate until chilled.
Serve on toasted bread or croissants.
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