The Seasonal Gourmet

It’s mid-August and FINALLY the weather is starting to look like summer!  July was unseasonably cold and wet and the first part of August has been unstable with thunderstorms on a regular basis.  The forecast in Southern Ontario looks sunny and warm for the next week which should be good for the crops.

I’ve was out of town for a short time so today is the first market I’ve been to in a while.  The theme of today’s farmer’s market seemed to be Fruit.  There were strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, apricots, peaches, cherries, melons, currants, pears, apples and plums.  I picked up some cherries, raspberries and blueberries with the intention of developing some delicious desserts or breakfast pastries.  Stay tuned… 

Update: Click here for a delicious and decadent breakfast recipe using fresh raspberries – Raspberry-White Chocolate Scones

Update: Click here for a great cherry dessert: Cherry Clafoutis with Almonds

Using Fruit in Savoury Dishes

Dessert is probably the first thing that comes to mind when we think of using fruit in cooking but it can be used in savoury dishes as well.  Fruit sauces pair well with meat and seafood  – think of classic pairings such as pork chops with apple sauce or duck with cherries.  Check out my recipe for Peach Chutney if you’re looking for an interesting way to use peaches.  I also published a recent article on Suite 101.com for Spicy Apricot Glazed Shrimp – my husband called the sweet and spicy shrimp skewers ‘addictive’.  

Spicy Apricot Glazed Grilled Shrimp

Fruit Jams

Another popular way to use seasonal fruit is in jams and jellies.  Easy Drop Biscuits with Strawberry Jam or Apricot Jam will start your morning on the right note. Experiment with using plums, raspberries, cherries or blueberries instead of strawberries.  

Market Vegetables

Of course there were vegetables at the market as well.  Corn was the main attraction – huge piles of sweet, freshly picked ears were featured at a number of stands.  For an elegant side dish featuring corn, try Corn with Red Pepper and Herbs.  Tomatoes were still relatively scarce which is not surprising given the weather we’ve had. Hopefully the warm weather this week will help field tomatoes ripen and sweeten. 

Until next week…

Trish