A quick dessert for those times you desire something sweet after dinner, but without the effort. Of course you can make it as light or as rich, as simple or as elegant as you want. I don’t give any quantities as it is all up to taste and playing around creatively with colours  and textures and experimenting with flavours.

See also Tartelette for her quince tartlets…beautiful and delicious.

I used:

• Cream, whisked until fluffy
• Greek joghurt, sweetened with a littel castor sugar
• A vanilla pod, seeded
• Quince, peeled and cut into pieces
• juice and zest of a lime
• a pomegranate, seeded
• butter and brown sugar and some apple juice, for caramelizing the quince

1. Whisk the cream until thick and fuffy.
2. Mix the sugar and vanilla seeds into the joghurt and swirl in the cream
3. Peel the quince, cut into pieces and coat with the juice from the lime
4. Caramelize the quince with  the butter, brown sugar and zest until soft.
5. Add some apple juice to the quince and bring to the boil just until the fruit mixture is syrupy. Leave aside to cool down a bit, but serve while still softly warm.
6. To serve: Serve a helping of joghurt/cream in a glass, top with the caramelized quince and finish off with some pomegranate seeds.
7. Variations:

•  Use apple, or pear or a mix of caramelized fruit
•  Cook the fruit to a thick compote and swirl into the joghurt/cream
•  Start with a layer of ginger biscuit crumbs in the bottom of the glass
•  Finish off with a drizzle of balsamic/honey of your choice
• Sprinkle with some grated chocolate/nuts

There is no greater satisfaction than coming home from the market with a basket packed full of seasonal delights….like peaches of all sorts and nectarines, all at their peak right now. I hardly get time to do something with them, they disappear fresh into a mouth as soon as they hit the fruit bowl on the dresser. Yesterday I kept four aside with the intention of making this light and fresh dessert. I ended up eating them fresh myself. But I managed to get hold of four ones.

A recipe from  Cape Town food by Phillippa Cheifitz which I adapted a bit.

Nectarines with a rosé wine syrup

• 4 ripe nectarines: washed, unpeeled, halved and seeded
• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of dry rosé wine
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 vanilla pod, cut in half and seeds scraped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• a handful of summer berries of your choice
• mint leaves

1. Bring the water, wine, sugar, vanilla pod and seeds and cinnamon stick to the boil in a large saucepan and simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Add the nectarines and immerse completely in the syrup, cut side down. Simmer gently for about 6 minutes, depending on the size of the nectarines. They should still have some firmness. Remove from the syrup.
3. Reduce the wine syrup over high heat until slightly thickened.
4. Pour over the nectarines and keep in cool place to infuse. If desired, it kan be refrigerated, until served. I prefer it room temperature.
5. Serve 2 halves in a pretty bowl, drizzle some syrup over and decorate with some summerberries of your choice and a mint leaf.

                                                                   Serves 4

 Commentaires

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–>OH MY GRACIOUS!!!! I AM SALIVATING ON MY KEYBOARD!!! GLORIOUS! SIMPLY ELEGANT!

Posté par lin, 24-07-2007 à 14:31

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–>Oh there are few things I love more than nectarines! They are so versatile and yet so fabulous eaten just as they are. I am trying to eat them as often as possibel while the season lasts. In fact, inspired by something I saw on your blog last week, I made nectarine quarters wrapped in Spanish ham and grilled as a starter this weekend – will let you know when I post about it 🙂

Posté par Jeanne, 24-07-2007 à 18:06

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–>Thanks Lin..oh dear, hope your keyboard’s OK, hie hie..
Jeanne, oh I will keep an eye out, it sounds great…glorious combination.
Ronell