Kitchen Projects: Fruity Bakes
Things that are good to make & EAT in the HEAT!
Blink and you’ll miss it, summer in the UK is both elusive and punishing. You know the phrase, when it rains, it pours? In the UK, when it summers, it really summers. But only for a second. For the first time this year, I walked down to my local greengrocer and it was truly resplendent. The peaches were winking at me! The berries copious! The tomatoes - ahhhh, the tomatoes.
So, it’s the perfect time for me to run through some of my favourite fruit forward recipes and projects for the summer from the Kitchen Projects archive, and from my book SIFT. From my favourite frozen treats, to doughs which love the heat, to bakes that make the most of fruit at its peak.
Over on KP+, I’m sharing a Granita special with THREE new recipes: Coconut water & green tea granita, Jasmine Lychee granita and Pistachio granita, all just so refreshing. AND I’m sharing a link to my very exciting Granita Calculator so you make your own formulations.
It’s a sister spreadsheet to my Sorbet Calculator; The idea is, there are some ideal parameters for balancing frozen desserts. So, with information lifted from some of my favourite books, I’ve created a spreadsheet where you can design your own flavours. It’s how I build all of my icy recipes, and I want to empower you to do the same!
Alright, let’s get into it.
Perfect peach tart
This is an outrageously simple tart with an extravagant finish. Inspired by a very unfancy breakfast I had in Mallorca on a quiet morning, this KP will also take you through the different varieties of peaches available over the summer. There’s also a little dive into the role of gelatin in desserts, which I highly recommend reading if you are considering including it in your recipes to stabilise it during the hot weather. Click here to make it
Peachy choux
Sometimes you just want to make something a little fancy. In this newsletter I get to the bottom of the whole peaches v nectarines thing and show you how to make a STUNNING peachy choux filled with a mousse that’ll lift you to the highest levels of stone fruit joy. Click here to make it!
Easy Thin n Crispy “strecci” bread
This super simple ultra thin and crispy bread dough is a perfect park /friends over for drinks snack. I LOVE this version with peaches and basil but you can customise it til your heart is content. I particularly love the version with tapenade, recipe provided by my brilliant friend Janine, head baker at Toklas Bakery. Click here to make it.
Floating Islands
I LOVE FLOATING ISLANDS. I don’t understand why this classic dessert isn’t more beloved - super light meringue on cold, thick custard. You can make it fruity, and serve with the season’s best or go rich and enjoy with caramel and nuts. I promise you can’t go wrong. Click here to make it.
All about Sorbet
Is there anything more refreshing than a mountain of sorbet in the hot weather? I’m not a competitive person, but there’s something about racing the heat to finish my frozen desserts before they turn into sloppy pools is very satisfying. In this edition, I guide you through the general theories behind frozen desserts and finishing with two sorbet recipes - no ice cream machine required - food processors / blenders can make pretty outstandingly smooth treats. Click here to make it
Blueberry Corn cake
The combination of blueberries and corn make for a joyful slice that you can take to picnics and snack on. Make use of the best berries that are beginning now and swirl them joyfully atop this cake. In this edition I also decode all the corn products out there on the market - come with me on an adventure through polenta and cornmeal. There’s also a handy tip for making the most of the blueberries - coriander seed contains a large amount (up to 85%!) of linalool which is the compound often used to synthesize blueberry flavour. Simply put, coriander seed helps the blueberries taste like… blueberries! It’s pretty remarkable. Try it and see! Click here for the recipe
Drinks of dreams
I LOVE a good drink recipe. I’ve shared quite a few over the years, but you’ll definitely enjoy this shiso raspberry lemonade (which can be changed up for other herbs) if you love refreshing, icy drinks. There’s also a recipe for fig leaf and peach iced green tea which is actually a glass of heaven, as well as Susan Spungen’s Tomato Water Lemonade (I KNOW RIGHT?). If creamy drinks are your thing, then give my ice cold horchata a go, or check out this dispatch on milk and cookies (ft the best strawberry milk + fennel seed and white chocolate cookies)
Granitas
Ok, fine. Maybe there IS something (in my opinion) better than sorbet in the summer. GRANITA. The prep time is minimal and you can be enjoying an icy treat within hours. Over on KP+, I’m sharing my granita calculator so you can make your own recipes, along with formulations for jasmine and lychee granita, green tea coconut water granita and pistachio granita.
If you check out the archives of this newsletter, you’ll find a bounty of recipes: I love this cucumber and mint granita, which is SO refreshing, as well as Alexina’s gorge recipe for bittersweet cocoa granita which is so rich but heavenly and light at the same time. In my book SIFT, you’ll find some of my favourite ever granita recipes including bramley apple and the most incredible raspberry lemonade granita, which tastes like palma violets! Click here to get a copy.
Pavlova
It wouldn’t be summer without at least one pavlova. In this edition of the newsletter I go DEEP with a full troubleshoot of all things meringue. From boxed egg whites to cornflour, baking issues to weeping meringues, cracking to brown sugar, if you’ve questioned it, I’ve probably answered it (or given it a go). Click here to make it. Or take it to the next level, and make a plinth-lova!
Apricot no-churn ice cream
In this newsletter I get to the bottom of why condensed milk seems to be in every single no-churn ice cream recipe, and learn about how to make smooth fruit ice creams. These apricot ice cream sandwiches served with brown butter oat cookies are a lot of fun to eat. Click here to make it.
Anything flaky fruit tart
This newsletter has a secret power: It’s french grandma approved. Earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit Monique’s home in the Loire Valley. Join me in her kitchen as she shows us how to make perfectly crisp and flaky fruit tarts no matter what the season. Click here to make it
Make a Galette!
Flick to page 68 in my book SIFT and you’ll find a recipe for ‘ANY GALETTE’ - that’s because you really can use this pastry as a canvas for all your fruit dreams. With a few tweaks, you can make a gorgeous galette no matter what you’ve picked up at your local greengrocers. In the book, I suggested a lovely plum, peach and blueberry number, alongside a courgette, ricotta and herby one. But you do you! Everything you need to know is in the book. Click here to get a copy.
What about a jam?
Panic buying fruits? I get it. Same. Want to make a preserve and not exactly sure where to begin? You should really let kitchen projects columnist Camilla Wynne take you through her Preserving 101. She’s got your back! Click here to read it.
Stone fruit frangipane tart
Everyone needs a great frangipane tart in their life and i’m pretty confident that this one will be your go to. Thinly sliced plums make a stunning, simple finish that can be glazed or left plain. Serve with a big dollop of cream or enjoy on its own, either way you’ll be putting plums where they deserve to be: In the spotlight. Click here to make it
Airy Glass Bread
There’s few things I love more than super holey airy bread, and this recipe leaves focaccia in the dust. Airy Glass Bread aka Pan De Cristal aka 100% hydrated bread is a bit of a challenge, but i’ll guide you every step of the way. Just look at that crumb! It makes the best bread ever for summery meals - from pan con tomate, to ricotta & fried courgettes, to mortadella fennel slaw sandwiches, you really can’t go wrong. Click here to make it.
Apricot Olive Oil Cake
I love this tender crumbed, semolina enriched olive oil cake. It’s not claggy like other olive oil cakes and the apricots are just so happy nestled in the crumb. Click here to make it.
The apricot olive oil cake is still my favourite. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made it.
Annie says “peach ruffles?! Is she crazy! How amazing”