As I wandered through the fragrant aisles at Rays Produce & Flowers the other day, a woman in an apron loudly extolled the virtues of the nearby rows of nectarines. In addition to touting their juicy texture, she mentioned how lucky we were to have them available, since they had just reached peak ripeness, a milestone they’d missed the previous week. Of course, I bought a quart of the rosy beauties.
Food historians believe both peaches and nectarines are native to northwest China, growing there thousands of years ago. Although they are both members of the rose family, there are some distinct differences between the two fruits. The first is their skin – peaches are fuzzy and nectarines are smooth. These traits are caused by a difference in a single gene. Nectarines are not genetically modified peaches, but their own species.
Another misconception is that nectarines are a cross between a peach and a plum, but this is not the case. They're simply a fuzz-less peach. The name nectarine comes from the Greek “nectar” or drink of the gods, which gives you an idea about their flavor. In both fruits, the flesh can be yellow or white, with the yellow-fleshed varieties typically a bit more tart in taste than the white. The bright-white color inside these nectarines was a beautiful contrast to the rich red hues in the flesh surrounding the pit.
Both fruits are nutritionally dense; they’re rich in fiber, antioxidants, beta carotene, vitamins and minerals. And, they’re packed with juicy flavor. One feature of a nectarine that I prefer to a peach is the size; nectarines are usually smaller, which I find makes them easier to eat in a single sitting. With a bit more acidity, they’re slightly more tangy than peaches, but, because of their similarities, you can readily substitute one for the other in most recipes.
Whether you’re looking to make a buckle, a crumble, a crisp or a cobbler, summer stone fruit like nectarines will make your dessert look and taste delicious. To explain the differences, we’ll start with the cobbler, which has a top crust of biscuit or pie dough but no bottom crust. The fresh fruit is mixed with sugar and a thickening agent to create a luscious filling.
A crisp and a crumble are similar – fruit covered with a sweet topping. Crisps are topped with a crunchy combination of sugar, butter, rolled oats, nuts, flour and spices. They’re baked until the top is golden and (of course) crisp. A crumble is topped with more of a streusel-style, hand-mixed combination of flour, oats, brown sugar and butter, making it a bit more clumpy and rustic than a crisp topping.
While these first three are all variations on a fruit pie, the buckle is more like a fruit-studded coffee cake. It’s a single-layer, vanilla-flavored cake that has berries or sliced fruit mixed into the batter, the weight of which gives it a “buckled” or indented appearance as it bakes. These are often topped with a cinnamon-streusel mixture to provide a texture contrast to the tender cake.
The dish in the photo is a nectarine crumble that displays one of the qualities of a good crumble – there is almost the same amount of fruit as there is topping. When you spoon out servings of this dessert, the topping crumbles into the fruit, mixing together the two textures. I’ve included the crumble recipe, along with one for a buckle, both ready for your favorite summer nectarines.
Nectarine Crumble
5 or 6 ripe nectarines
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 C brown sugar
1 T flour
pinch of salt
1/4 C rolled oats
1/3 C flour
1/3 C brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
4 T chilled butter
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut nectarines into slices, discarding the pits. Place fruit in a mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, brown sugar and salt; toss gently to combine and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together oats, both sugars, salt and cinnamon. Cut the butter into chunks and add to the bowl. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, cut butter into the dry ingredients until you have pea-size pieces. Pour the fruit mixture into an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Scatter the topping evenly over the fruit. Bake until the crumble is slightly golden brown, about 45 minutes. Yield: 6 servings.
Blueberry Nectarine Buckle
Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat the inside of a round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Stir together sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter with a pastry blender; set aside. Halve and pit the nectarines; cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in a bowl and stir in blueberries; set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg and beat until combined; gradually beat in milk. Add dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently fold in the fruit. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Cover evenly with streusel mixture. Cook until a tester comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before serving. Yield: 8 servings.
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Send questions, comments and recipe ideas to Denise at capeflavors@comcast.net.
