In the Kitchen with Sigona’s Featuring Local Stone Fruit

One of life’s great pleasures is biting into a ripe, fresh and sweet piece of stone fruit. Whether it’s a peach, plum, apricot, nectarine or additional hybrid, local stone fruits are wonderful whether eaten out of hand or in a crisp salad.
–

Out of Hand

OK, so maybe this isn’t exactly a recipe, but we bet you can’t resist the temptation of holding a delicious piece of stone fruit in your hand without chomping down into it to enjoy those sweet, succulent flavors. Nothing beats eating fresh stone fruit right out of hand.

Ingredients

• Sigona’s stone fruits from Sweet Home Farms
  • Peaches
  • Nectarines
  • Plums
  • Apricots

Directions

• Select your stone fruit of choice
• Raise to mouth
• Bite into the best-tasting fruit in the entire Bay Area
• Enjoy!

Honey Vanilla Fromage Blanc

I love this quick and simple recipe, especially on warm summer days. The raspberry topping is the perfect complement to Sweet Home Farms’ delectable stone fruits. Recipe adapted from Food Network.

Ingredients

• 32 ounces fromage blanc
• 2 TBL heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Honey Hole Wild Apricot or Blackberry Honey
• 4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
• Vanilla seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

Assemble Using:

• Sigona’s fresh stone fruits, including Diamond Ray nectarines, Ice Princess and Snow Princess peaches and Santa Rosa plums
• Berries such as raspberries and strawberries
• Citrus fruit such as oranges, cut in segments
• Raspberry Sauce

Directions:

• Stir the fromage blanc, cream, honey, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and vanilla seeds together in a medium bowl.
• Refrigerate until ready to use.
• To assemble, spoon the fromage blanc mixture into shallow bowls. Place the fruit artfully on top and drizzle the dessert with raspberry sauce.
• Serve with extra raspberry sauce on the side.

Raspberry Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 basket of raspberries rinsed
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 2 tsp. Honey Hole Wild Apricot Honey

Raspberry Sauce Directions:

• Place the ingredients for the raspberry sauce in a blender
• Blend until smooth use as a topping

Carmelo’s Simple Stone Fruit Salad

Simple, delicious and incredibly good for you. No wonder this basic stone fruit salad has become one of my most favorite dishes!

Ingredients:

• One of the following stone fruits:
  • Diamond Ray nectarines
  • Ice Princess peaches
  • Snow Princess peaches
  • Santa Rosa Plums
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 2 tsp. lime juice
• A sprinkling of raspberries

Directions:

• Slice the stone fruit and mix with all ingredients except raspberries
• Plate and top with raspberries

Peach, Plum or Apricot Raw Stone Fruit Cobbler

Nothing beats a refreshing and sweet cobbler, especially when stone fruits are perfectly in season as they are right now. This healthy treat is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.  Recipe courtesy of About.com.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds (5-6 cups) of Sweet Home Ranch’s peaches, plums, nectarines or apricots pitted and cut into 1” chunks
• 2 TBL of Honey Hole Wild Honey
• ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup walnut pieces
• ½ cup pecan pieces
• 5 large medjool dates, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon powder
• Pinch of grated nutmeg or mace
• Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

• Gently toss the fruit with the agave and vanilla extract. Divide the fruit amongst 4 dessert glasses and set aside.
• Place the remaining ingredients (coconut, walnuts, pecans, dates, almond extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt) in a food processor and pulse the mixture until it is coarsely ground but still has texture.
• Divide the mixture between the 4 berry dishes, scattering evenly over the top to form a thick crust.
• The crisp can be served immediately or chilled.
• Serves 4