Summer-winter desserts - recipes

Sunset, Jan, 1989

Apricots with oranges, cherries and grapefruit today's markets give us new two-season combinations

A taste of summer in the height of winter used to be a rare treat. But this luxury is no longer hard to come by, as stone fruits grown in the Southern Hemisphere's reverse-season climate show up in our markets.

The fruits, mostly from Chile and New Zealand, are the same as or similar to varieties we grow here. They can be costly, though prices have become more moderate as imports increase. Quality of the fruit, usually firm to firm-ripe, is often surprisingly good.

Here, we pair imported apricots, peaches or nectarines, and cherries with domestic citrus fruits (now entering their peak winter harvest). The first and last recipes work well for dessert or brunch; all the dishes have make-ahead steps.

Apricot Ginger Kuchen

1/2 CUP (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine, at

room temperature

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

About 1 tablespoon finely shredded

orange peel (orange partonly)

14 to 16 firm-ripe apricots (about 2 lb.

total), cut in half and pitted

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons finely chopped

crystallized ginger

Powdered sugar

In the small bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter with brown sugar until smoothly blended. Add eggs, I at a time, beating well after each. Stir in vanilla, flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon orange peel.

Butter and flour-dust an 11 -inch tart pan with or without removable bottom. Spread batter evenly in the pan. Arrange apricots, cut side up, on batter, pressing fruit slightly into it. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over fruit and batter, then sprinkle with crystallized ginger.

Bake the kuchen in a 350' oven until firm when touched in center and just beginning to pull away from the pan, about 35 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes on a rack, then dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle with remaining peel. Remove pan rim, if possible. Cut into wedges; serve warm or at room temperature. If made ahead, cover when cool and let stand up to 8 hours. Serves 10 to 12.

Per serving: 255 cal.; 4.7 g protein; 38 g carbo.; 9.9 g fat, 112 mg chol.; 107 mg sodium.

Lemon Savarin with Peaches or Nectarines

Bake the savarin on page 112, omitting the wine syrup; instead, saturate the cake with this lemon syrup.

Savarin, warm, released but in pan

(recipe page 112)

Lemon syrup (recipe follows)

6 medium-size firm-ripe peaches or

nectarines (1-1/4 tO 1-1/2 lb. total)

Whipped cream With a fork, pierce warm savarin deeply about every 1/2 inch over surface. Set aside 1/2 cup syrup; pour remainder over savarin. Let stand until at room temperature. If made ahead, cover and chill until next day; let come to room temperature.

Up to 2 hours before serving, immerse peaches (not the nectarines) in boiling water to cover for about 30 seconds, then pull off skins. Discard pits and thickly slice fruit. Mix fruit with reserved syrup. Invert savarin onto a wide, rimmed plate. Spoon peaches around cake; ladle fruit juices on savarin. Spoon whipped cream into cake's center, or serve from a bowl. Slice the savarin and top with fruit; add cream to taste. Makes 14 to 16 servings.

Per serving. 252 cal.; 3.8 g protein; 37 g carbo.; 8.6 g fat, 85 mg chol.; 82 mg sodium.

Lemon syrup. In a 2- to 3-quart pan, combine 1-1/2 cups sugar, 1-1/2 cups water, 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander. Bring to a boil on high heat; boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then Stir in 3/4 cup rum. Pour through a fine strainer. Use warm or cool.

Cherry and Pink Grapefruit Compote

5 medium-size pink grapefruit (about

4-1/4 lb. total)

1 pound sweet, dark cherries, pitted

1/3 cup orange-flavor liqueur

About 2 tablespoons sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons honey With a vegetable peeler, pare only golden part of peel from I grapefruit. Cut peel into very thin, long slivers.

With a knife, cut and discard remaining peel and white membrane from each grapefruit. Hold fruit over a bowl and cut parallel to membrane to release segments into bowl. Squeeze juice ftom membrane into bowl; discard membrane. Drain off juice and reserve.

To fruit, add cherries, 1/4 cup liqueur, and sugar to taste. Mix gently. If made ahead, cover and chill up until next day

In a 1-1/2- to 2-quart pan, combine slivered peel and I cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat; drain. Repeat step. To the peel, add reserved juice, remaining sugar, and honey. Boil, uncovered, over high heat; stir often to prevent scorching. Cook until the peel is translucent and the syrup is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Stir in remaining liqueur; remove from heat. If made ahead, cover and let stand up until next day.

Ladle fruit and juices into individual bowls and top equally with peel and syrup. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Per serving: 125cal.; 1.3 g protein; 27 g carbo.; 0.6 g fat 0 mg chol.; 0.3 mg sodium.