Transform those bruised nectarines, mushy apricots, and smashed strawberries into jams, scones, homemade cocktails, smoothies. Make the most of the season. Leave no stone fruit unturned.
Here are six fun and exciting ways to eat your deliciously refreshing Nectarines:
- NECTARINE & STRAWBERRY ICE BLOCKS. 1 cup of strawberries (diced) 1 cup of sliced nectarine (stones removed)
- GRILLED NECTARINES.
- SORBET.
- NECTARINE & STRAWBERRY FRUIT SALAD.
- NECTARINE SMOOTHIE.
- FRUIT PLATTER.
Can you freeze nectarines whole? Nope! When frozen, the pit becomes bitter and taints the flavor. Cut the nectarine in half and remove the pit.
That's because preemptively exposing these fruit to cold is what causes graininess. As Harold McGee writes in On Food and Cooking, peaches and nectarines "tend to become mealy or break down in prolonged cold storage," and this is part of the reason they're more seasonal.
The sweetest varieties of peaches are the ones with clingstones and yellow or white flesh. Some examples of sweet peaches include the Elberta with rich sweet yellow flesh, the large Empress with a juicy texture, the small Honey Babe, the white-fleshed sweet Polly peach, and the deliciously juicy sweet Red Haven.
This is a super easy way to preserve your peaches and nectarines.
- Slice peaches or nectarines.
- Put parchment paper to cover a baking sheet or baking stone.
- Place peach or nectarine slices onto the baking sheet or stone.
- Place the baking sheet or stone into the freezer until the fruit hardens.
I'd suggest grilling or roasting them to caramelize their sugars or poaching them in simple syrup:
- Recipe: Grilled Peaches with Bourbon Vanilla Whipped Cream.
- Poached Apricots with Vanilla and Cardamom.
Avoid mixing your watermelons, muskmelons, cantaloupe and honeydews with other fruits. Try not to mix acidic fruits, such as grapefruits and strawberries, or sub-acidic foods such as apples, pomegranates and peaches, with sweet fruits, such as bananas and raisins for a better digestion.
6 Power-Packed Fruit Combos to Fuel Your Morning
- Anti-inflammatory plate: Cherry, pineapple, blueberry.
- Immune-boosting plate: Grapefruit, kiwi, strawberry.
- Antioxidant plate: Fig, red grape, pomegranate.
- Detoxifying plate: Goji berry, watermelon, lemon.
- Beauty plate: Blackberry, papaya, cantaloupe.
Banana: Pairs well with blueberry, caramel, cherry, chocolate, cinnamon, coconut, coffee, ginger, guava, hazelnut, honey, lemon, lime, mango, molasses, orange, papaya, pineapple, vanilla, and walnuts. It mixes best with brandy, Calvados, Madeira wine, and rum.
Nuts (pecans, almonds)Fresh peaches pair well with your favorite nuts for a protein boost throughout the day. The mixture of salty and sweet is sure to leave you coming back for more as well.
What Fruit Mixes Well With Mango? Mangoes are a team player—they go with almost anything! Since they intensify the flavor of other tropical fruits, try coconut, papaya or pineapple. In my opinion, melons, berries, peaches and bananas are also a good choice.
TOP FLAVOR COMBINATIONS
- Apple & cinnamon.
- Pumpkin/squash & spice/spicy.
- Fruit & punch.
- Lemon & Lime.
- Strawberry & banana.
- Tomato & basil.
- Chocolate & peanut butter.
- Garlic & herbs/herbal.
For example, it's friendliest to fruits that aren't overly sweet. Apples are a prime example (cardamom is perfect in pie), as are pears. Grapes are another fine pairing—that is, once converted into wine (try mulling wine with a couple pods).
Nectarine flavor affinities: Almonds, hazelnuts; blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, figs, lemon, lime; basil, cinnamon basil, mint; brown sugar, caramel; cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, vanilla; framboise, champagne.
If you aren't sure where to begin, here are 10 alcohol and fruit recipes to start with.
- Pineapple + Rum. princeofpoptart.
- Coconut + Rum. themaidenlane.
- Mango + Champagne. Instagram.
- Watermelon + Beer. waterka92.
- Strawberries + Vodka. daria_michele.
- Raspberries + Champagne. socialconceptions.
- Oranges + Brandy.
- Peaches + Bourbon.
Banana is also a classic pairing for rum, as is pineapple. Try it with bananas foster or banana tarte tatin and with pineapple upside down cake. And it was wonderful with a coconut bread crumble with rum sauce I had in Barbados!
Strictly, since the question was "Does the fruit have higher alcohol content than the punch" the answer is no. Given a long enough time the concentration would be the same in the fruit and the punch. For someone unused to alcohol that could be enough to affect them.
How Long to Soak Fruit in Alcohol. For optimal flavors, you'll want to soak your fruit in alcohol for around 3 hours. You can get away with soaking anywhere from an hour to overnight but I've found 3 hours is the best balance taste wise for an alcoholic fruit salad.
Cover with lid and shake gently until sugar dissolves. Store in a dark cupboard for 3 to 4 weeks, shaking occasionally. After four weeks, move to refrigerator and use within three months.
Combine two of your favorite things — food and
alcohol — and you've got an end result that doesn't only taste good, but makes almost everyone happy.
Here are 22 foods you probably never realized you could soak in alcohol:
- Pineapples. glamourpussssss.
- Strawberries.
- Watermelon.
- Angel Food Cake.
- Oranges.
- Doughnuts.
- Plums.
- Cherries.
Yes you can leave strawberries in vodka for 2 days but be sure to refrigerate them. Can I use Hennessy instead? Yes, if you prefer brandy over vodka, go for it. All spirits will soak strawberries equally well, it's all about personal preference.
