“Give me book, fruit, French wine, and fine weather and a little music out of doors played by someone I do not know”
John Keats
We’ve been stoned nice and proper this summer! No, no, it’s not what you think. It’s just that we’ve had a wonderful bounty of stone fruit, and just when I think it’s the end of the season, the vibrant bazaar and the vendor tempt me back with more fruit to offer! A few days ago, my favourite fruit-vendor promised me another week of peaches. Just when I heaved a sigh of relief that I still had time, and there was really no need for ‘fruit’ panic, he showed the most luscious peaches. I had walked into the trap!
Got back home with a kilo of the most gorgeous peaches, and had them peeled and pitted in next to no time. Had several thoughts of what to do with them. Then my Dad dropped by for lunch, so they were hurriedly chopped up and served with a lightly sweetened cream! Classic and so comforting in every spoonful, ‘Peaches and Cream‘ have to be the most simple yet luxurious dessert to serve in a jiffy!
Predictably, I was back to the shop that afternoon to get another kilo of peaches. I had Tropical Fruit Verrines from Tartlette on my mind, and this years bounty of stone fruit ensured that I could chase this unfulfilled foodie dream! A bag of peaches, a fridge full of mangoes, kiwi fruit and a jar of preserved cherries. {I preserved those in May} were all singing to me. Could see a very happy family in the near future! Toyed with using just hung yogurt in the topping, but then in last minute decision thought that a little low fat cream wouldn’t do too much harm, so in it went. A scraped vanilla bean in the topping tied it all up deliciously!
The verrine originated from France, and is a dessert or appetizer made by layering different ingredients in a single serving glass. It can be either sweet or savoury, and makes an attractive presentation. I’ve never tried making a savoury one, but have heard of layered salads, appetizers etc which are becoming a culinary trend. They are a display of art, and often offer a fascinating blend of colours, textures and complimentary flavours! Another plus is that this one can be made in advance, and the flavours mature beautifully. It is entirely customizable to taste. It’s fun to play around with the layers and ingredients.
Found joy at many levels here. A light make ahead dessert, stone fruit based, seasonal, simple, vegetarian, low fat, healthy, colourfu,l and above all, glass scraping delicious! Try it before the stone fruit season disappears. Cherries have gone from the market here, but you can use burgundy brandied cherries or canned cherries instead, or even use plums! You have to try it, and I promise you won’t miss the heavy cream. The topping is luxurious and creamy.
I enjoyed the explosion of colours the fruit in the verrine offered. Sliced fresh peaches and cherries completed my colour palette … I loved making it and we all enjoyed devouring it!
Tropical Fruit Verrines Recipe adapted minimally fromTartlette Serves 6 2 mangoes, peeled, and pureed with lime juice 2 tbsp lime juice 1 cup drained preserved cherries, or fresh, or canned 2 kiwis, skinned and diced 3 peaches, skinned, stoned and diced 1 mango, peeled and diced 1/2 cup hung yogurt {should be very thick} 150ml low fat cream {25%} 1 vanilla bean scraped 2 tbsp powdered sugar
Method: For the bottom layer, peel the mango and cut in rough chunks, run them through the food processor with the lime juice until you obtain a fine puree. Divide it evenly among glasses or dishes. Mix the diced fruit and cherries to get a nice fruit salad, add a couple of tbsp of lime juice to prevent the fruits from turning brown if you want. Divide on top of the mango puree evenly among the glasses. Mix the hung yogurt, cream, powdered sugar and scraped vanilla bean in a small bowl with a whisk until just well blended & smooth., and divide it between the glasses. Top with fresh sliced fruit. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
