Topsy Turvey

Ever wonder why it's called, "upside down cake?"  I recently found out.  A friend on Facebook posted this recipe for Nectarine Upside Down Cake.  It's called that because you put the toppings for the cake, usually sliced fruit, in the bottom of the cake pan -- in other words, you put the cake in the pan upside down.  I guess there's a simple answer for just about everything.

Photo via Damn Delicious

Nectarines are my favorite of the stone fruits.  Peaches are delicious, but the fuzz kinda gets to me.  With a nectarine, no such problem.  These are early ones, though, so they're not yet freestone.  What's freestone?  it means that the fruit, cut in half, pulls away from the pit cleanly.  It'll be a few more weeks yet before they're ripe enough for that.  I won't blame you if you hold on to this recipe until then.  It's less work, and the cut fruit for your topping looks nicer.

Meanwhile, eat your nectarines!

Photo via Damn Delicious

Just the Tools at Hand

Today is the first time I've been camping in a long, long, long time.  It's my little guy's first experience.  His enthusiasm was... effervescent.  Of course, this involved campfire cooking.  Other than forgetting how long everything takes (coffee might be done by lunch), it went well.

My Boy Scout days taught me the utility of cooking in foil.  But let's just say that my palate has progressed past a hunk of ground beef with onion and potato slices.  The art form, however, can still be beautiful.

You also don't have to wait for a camp out to do this.  The coals in the barbecue grill work just fine too.

Campfire potatoes are simply sliced Yukon golds, fresh rosemary and thyme, generous salt & pepper, and some fat (olive oil works, and so does leftover duck fat).

Dessert (well, pre-s'mores anyway) was this delicious stone fruit concoction.  Ginger snaps, sliced fruit, lime zest and juice, and I substituted dark rum for brandy and maple syrup for sugar, and WOW.

The true stroke of genius, though, was using leftover ginger snaps for the s'mores.  OH YEAH.

Stone fruit season has begun!

That's a scene that just warms my heart. We'll get to see it for the next couple of months.  Large baskets filled with a cornucopia of peaches, plums, apricots and nectarines.  I almost want to dive into the display, head first, mouth open.  I'm about to tell you what you can do with them, but nothing I'll tell you can top this one tip:  eat them.  Eat them whole, just as Mother Nature intended.  Chefs and bakers the world over try every day to take these gems and improve on them. While they make wonderful things for us, no one yet has made something better than eating the fruit itself.

Photo via Davison Orchards

That's not to say we can't make wonderful things.  What I'll advise you, though, is that the less you do to the fruit, the better your dish will be. For example, this recipe for grilled peaches does nothing to the fruit itself other than slightly grilling them.  And it's a wonderful dessert.  My 5-year-old is a huge fan of helping me put nectarines and berries in the food processor, pushing the pulp through a strainer into Popsicle forms, and having a cool summer treat.

Photo via VegKitchen

Over the summer you'll see about an article a week about various stone fruits and ideas for them.  Of course we'll talk about baking, but there will be articles about preserving, cocktails, savory dishes and more.  The next fruit article will be about a dessert tradition in my family this time of year, Pflaumkuchen.

I'm looking forward to a fruit-filled summer.  How about you?

Take Another Little Piece of My Tart!

Back in March, I posted my no-fail tart crust recipe.  At the time it was for a Cinnamon Apple Tart, but now it's summertime and that means stone fruit is coming out of our ears!  So with this weeks nectarines, you'll be well on your way to wowing those around you with a chic nectarine tart.  Below are some past versions of nectarine tarts I've made, and you already know how incredible the local blackberries are, so if you're already afraid of blackberry withdrawal for this week, go ahead and snag a pint to create a Nectarine & Blackberry Tart.

Nectarine & Blackberry Tart

Nectarine, Plum & Cherry Tart

Now that I have you drooling, click through to view the No-Fail Tart Crust recipe and get ready to be crowned the queen of tarts!

Nectarine Cheesecake Bars With Ginger Cookie Crust

I have never had nectarine with cheesecake before. What a great combination to make! With a ginger cookie crust? even better! This makes a big batch so you'll have some to share with your neighbors... or you know... not. We won't tell.

Ingredients:
2 8-oz blocks of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp, divided
3 eggs
3 nectarines
lemon zest from one lemon (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups crushed ginger cookies
6 Tbsp butter, melted

To view the rest of this recipe, please visit: http://www.heathersdish.com/1/nectarine-cheesecake-bars-with-ginger-cookie-crust/