From the Kitchen – Incredible Ingredients

by Joan Saunders | photos by Kathryn Alvarez Photography – 

A friend recently confessed to me that when I said something was easy to cook, they didn’t always believe me. Whoa. That was a bit gut-wrenching, but I can understand the feelings behind the statement.

Sometimes the final product in a magazine or cookbook looks so amazing that it’s a bit intimidating to even attempt the recipe. What I generally don’t care about is how something looks. While it’s great to serve a recipe that’s Instagram-worthy, what’s truly important is the taste, the melding of flavours and the enjoyment of sitting down and relishing a dish made at home with love.

I have served more than my fair share of treats that looked terrible but tasted fabulous; I would always rather indulge in something that looks a mess but is gloriously delicious. This month’s recipe highlights what’s ripe and ready right now: amazing stone fruits and local berries. It’s not difficult to make and still ends up looking beautiful because you’re working with incredible ingredients.

It’s up to you if you slap on the fruit in a haphazard way or take a more precise approach. I often start out with a plan, but it usually devolves into a more random experience. That’s OK! The cake base is restrained, as it works to let the fruit you’ve chosen shine. Just make sure that all the components are fresh, as that’s important in baking. Along with some ice cream, whipped cream or, if you choose to make it, Crème Anglaise, you’ll be very happy with both the flavours and the final presentation of this fabulous fruit torte.

And some famous last words? It’s easy. Believe me.

Fabulous Fruit Torte
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup sour cream
Approximately 2 1/2 cups assorted stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries). Leave skin on; slice fruit into thin sections. Pit cherries.
Approximately 1 1/2 cups assorted berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries).
Note that strawberries are too wet for this recipe. Stick with fresh fruit, as frozen fruit will also be too wet.

Heat oven to 350°. Coat a nine-inch springform pan with butter or nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with a round of parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

In large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until well combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Beat in sour cream until smooth.

Gently beat in flour mixture, one third at a time, until combined. Scrape into prepared springform pan. Spread batter evenly in pan (it will be thick). Smooth out top of batter. Arrange stone fruit on top of the batter as desired. Leave the berries for now.

Bake for 45 minutes, then quickly remove it from the oven and top with berries, lightly pressing them into the top of the cake. Add as many as you like. Return to oven to bake for another 15 minutes. The cake should be golden and is done when a toothpick inserted in top part of cake comes out free of batter.

Cool on rack for about 15 minutes, then remove side of pan. Allow to cool completely.

You can add glaze when cake is cool but isn’t necessary. Fruit glaze: ½ cup apple jelly, 1 tbsp water. Heat until liquefied. Brush over fruit.

Excellent served with some whipping cream, ice cream or Crème Anglaise.

Whisk egg yolks together in medium bowl.

Put vanilla, milk, cream, sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to just a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add hot milk mixture
to bowl of yolks in steady stream, whisking constantly while adding
ingredients together.

Pour mix back into pot; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sauce is thick enough to coat back of a spoon. Do not let mixture boil, or egg yolks will scramble. If it’s a bit lumpy, you can always push it through a sieve into another bowl.

Serve it warm or place some plastic wrap directly on its surface to prevent a skim from forming. Refrigerate until cold. Reheat gently, if preferred warm.