There comes a point in deepest summer when every meal seems to end with the marriage of fruit and some sort of dairy produce. Ripe cherries with ricotta, gooseberries with cream cheese, or perhaps a peach cake with a dish of lightly whipped cream. I also like to start the day with yogurt, muesli and strawberries that have been marinated with orange and a drop of sweet-sour balsamic vinegar. This year has been particularly fine for soft fruit, so here are some of my favourites from this long summer.
Gooseberry cheesecake bars
Gooseberries have a natural affinity with dairy produce, which is why they produce what is probably the ultimate fruit fool. Their characteristic sharpness marries neatly with cream cheese, too, hence their addition to this summer cheesecake. The juice that collects from the cooked fruit should be thoroughly chilled and served over the finished cake.
Serves 8
For the gooseberries
gooseberries 600g
caster sugar 2 tbsp
water 3tbsp
For the crust
sweet oat biscuits 300g
butter 90g
For the cheesecake
cream cheese 300g
caster sugar 150g
egg 1
egg yolks 2
mascarpone 125g
vanilla extract
You will need a 24cm square cake tin, lined with baking parchment.
Top and tail the gooseberries, place in a non-reactive saucepan with the sugar and water, then bring them to the boil. As the berries begin to burst, remove from the heat. Place a sieve over a deep jug, pour in the cooked fruit and let it drain, the juice collecting in the jug underneath.
Crush the biscuits to fine crumbs in a food processor or with a rolling pin. Melt the butter, add the crumbs then mix thoroughly. Press them down into the lined cake tin, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Spoon the drained gooseberries over the biscuit crust. Put the juice in the fridge to chill. Set the oven at 175C/gas mark 3. In a food mixer fitted with a paddle beater, mix together the cream cheese, caster sugar, egg and yolks, and mascarpone, then add a teaspoon or so of vanilla extract. When all is thoroughly mixed, spoon into the lined tin, smooth the surface level, then bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cake is almost set in the middle. The centre should wobble slightly when lightly shaken.
Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool, then place in the refrigerator and chill for a good four or five hours. It needs this time in which to set properly. Remove from the tin and slice into 8 equal bars. Serve with the gooseberry syrup. Decorate as you wish.
Raspberry pancakes
In deepest summer I like to make a rose-scented sugar for pancakes, scattering the pale pink sugar over them with a squeeze of lemon. Equally delicious is a homemade raspberry preserve, served warm from the stove. A little cream is good here, too.
Serves 3-4
For the pancakes
butter 30g
plain flour 100g
caster sugar a level tbsp
egg 1 large, plus an extra egg yolk
milk 350ml
For the raspberry preserve
raspberries 500g
granulated sugar 400g
lemon 1
Make the pancakes. Melt the butter in a small pan, remove from the heat and leave to cool. Sift the flour together with a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar.
Make a well in the centre then pour in the egg and egg yolk, lightly beaten, and the milk. Bring the flour slowly in to the middle, beating lightly to get a smooth batter. Set aside for half an hour.
Put the raspberries in a deep saucepan and add the sugar. Finely grate the zest from the lemon, squeeze its juice and add both to the pan. Bring to the boil and continue boiling for five minutes. Remove from the heat, removing any froth from the surface, then set aside.
Brush a 20-22cm non-stick frying pan or crepe pan with a little melted butter. When the butter starts to sizzle, give the batter a quick stir, then pour or ladle in enough to give a wafer-thin layer. Tip the pan around so the batter covers the bottom. Let it cook for a minute, then run a palette knife around the edge to loosen it. Slide the palette knife underneath, then flip the pancake over quickly and smoothly. Leave to cook for a minute or two then slide out on to a plate.
Continue with the rest of the mixture. You should make about 6-8 pancakes. Serve the pancakes with thick cream and the raspberry preserve.
You can make a scented sugar to scatter over the pancakes if you prefer. Process a large red garden rose (not one from a shop) with 3 tablespoons of sugar in a food processor. When the sugar is pink, scatter over the pancakes with a squeeze of lemon.
Ricotta cream, cherry compote
I like to make cherry compote just before serving, so the steaming fruit contrasts with the cool, milky ricotta cream.
Serves 4
ricotta 250g
mascarpone 250g
orange 1 medium-sized
vanilla extract ½-1 tsp
orange blossom water 1 tsp
icing sugar to taste
For the compote
blackcurrants 75g
cherries 250g
caster sugar 1 tbsp
water 6 tbsp
Put the ricotta and mascarpone into a mixing bowl. Finely grate the zest from the orange and stir it in, together with the vanilla extract and orange blossom water to taste.
Line a small sieve or colander with a piece of clean muslin (a J-cloth will do) and spoon the ricotta cream into it. Suspend the sieve over a bowl so there is room for any whey to run off, then cover the surface with a piece of clingfilm, a small, heavy plate and a weight, and refrigerate for at least four hours.
Make the compote. Top and tail the blackcurrants and put them in a non-reactive saucepan. Stone the cherries, add them to the pan with the sugar and water, and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and let the compote bubble gentle for a few minutes until the berries have burst and the syrup is deep purple. Remove and set aside.
To serve, remove the plate and clingfilm from the ricotta cream. Turn the sieve upside down on a serving plate, shaking it gently to dislodge the cream from its container. Dust, if you wish, with a little icing sugar. Serve with the cherry compote.
Peach and honey cake
A cake, studded with fresh fruit, works as both dessert and teatime treat. If this cake, with its layer of soft peaches and crunchy pine nuts, is to come out at the end of a meal, I would include a jug of pouring cream, too.
Serves 8-10
peaches 3 ripe
honey 4 tbsp
rosemary 1 sprig
For the batter
ground almonds 80g
plain flour 100g
baking powder ¾ tsp
butter 180g
caster sugar 180g
eggs 3 large
lemon 1
pine nuts 2 tbsp
Line the base of a 20cm round, deep, springform cake tin. Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4.
Halve the peaches, remove their stones and slice each half into four. Place the slices on a foil-lined grill pan, trickle over 2 tablespoons of the honey then leave under a hot grill till their edges have started to caramelise. Watch them carefully throughout the process. Finely chop the rosemary needles.
Mix together the ground almonds, plain flour and baking powder. Cut the butter into small dice then beat to a pale, thick cream with the sugar using a food mixer. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly. With the beater turning at low speed, alternately add the egg and flour mixtures until you have a smooth, thick cream. Finely grate the zest of the lemon and stir in. Spoon into the lined cake tin.
Place the grilled peaches on top of the cake – they look best randomly distributed rather than neatly arranged – then scatter over the pine nuts and the chopped rosemary needles. Bake for 45 minutes, until lightly firm and golden, then remove and brush with the remaining honey. Leave to cool before turning out of the tin.
Strawberry bircher muesli
Dr Bircher’s classic muesli is one of my favourite breakfasts, though I will admit to removing the raisins, which I find introduce an unwelcome sweetness. This is a fresher version, with sliced strawberries and orange. It should be served thoroughly chilled.
Serves 4-6
porridge oats 100g
rolled jumbo oats 50g
apple juice 400ml
honey 2 tsp
apple 1, cored and grated
yogurt 100g
strawberries 250g
caster sugar 2 tbsp
orange juice of ½
balsamic vinegar a drop or 2
Sprinkle the oats in a single layer in a large shallow pan and toast them lightly over a moderate heat. Remove from the heat when they smell warm and nutty and their colour will darken slightly.
Let the oats cool, then put them in a bowl with the apple juice, honey, grated apple, a little sugar if you wish, and a generous pinch of salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Slice the strawberries, put them in a mixing bowl and scatter the sugar over them. Squeeze in the orange juice, then add a few drops of balsamic vinegar to taste. Set aside in the fridge overnight.
Next morning, fold the yogurt into the bircher muesli followed by the strawberries, then serve.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @NigelSlater