Fruit

Although it might sound exotic, savory chutney has a time-honored place on nearly every American’s Thanksgiving table in the form of cranberry sauce. Chutneys are flexible, versatile condiments that add a nice sweet-sour note to roasted meats, sandwiches, and cheese platters. Although sour cherries add a lovely tangy punch to this chutney, you could also use golden raisins, dried cranberries, diced dried apricots, or nearly any other dried fruit. Instead of the pears, you can use apples—as long as it’s a variety that will hold its shape after cooking. This is best made a day or two in advance so all the flavors have a chance to come together.

Like the grilled peaches on page 249, these figs can be served as an hors d’oeuvre, as the anchor for a green salad, or as a garnish for roast pork. Because you’re wrapping the prosciutto around the figs, it’s best to use slices from the widest part of the ham. If the prosciutto is smaller, buy two slices per fig and use toothpicks to secure the prosciutto around the figs.

This gorgeous syrup is a super easy way to preserve otherwise-fragile berries. Drizzle it over ice cream, mix it with seltzer for an Italian soda, or pair it with bourbon or gin in a cocktail.

Portland, Oregon, is one of my favorite places to visit—mainly to visit our dearest friends, but also for the fantastic foods and possibly the best farmers’ market in the country. This drink was inspired by a magical afternoon there, spent distillery hopping on a bicycle. The bell pepper is a surprising ingredient; it adds a slight sweetness to this unique, very quaffable beverage.

This is my favorite cake of all time. The buttermilk adds a nice acidity and helps create a moist, light crumb that is a perfect complement to the fruit. This works just as well with pears, apples, and stone fruits; for best results, use fruit that is ripe but not too soft.

This is a wonderful, simple cake that stays very moist thanks to the almond paste. Although this version calls for plums, you can adapt it for every season by substituting blueberries, cooked apple chunks, ripe fuyu persimmons, or other types of stone fruit.

When summer is in full swing and melons are fat and juicy, treat yourself to this delightful, kid-friendly beverage. You can use cantaloupe, honeydew, or a mixture of different melons. Watermelon works best on its own, though—its consistency doesn’t jive with other kinds of melons. For a more adult beverage, try spiking this with tequila or vodka!

The combination of strawberry and rhubarb is a classic for good reason: the juicy-sweet strawberries are perfectly balanced by the tart rhubarb. Our version features a crumb crust on top, which works well with a very juicy fruit filling such as this one; a traditional pie crust topping would get soggy. The crumb also provides crunchy textural contrast to the soft fruit inside.

Before we were married, my wife, Anne, used to court me with this tart. She was a pastry chef at San Francisco’s now-razed 42 Degrees restaurant, and they sourced cheese from the same distributor as we did at the Market. Whenever the restaurant got their cheese shipment, Anne would give the delivery guy this tart, and he in turn would deliver it to me on his next stop. I guess the way to my heart truly is through my stomach! Whether you’re being wooed or not, this is a fabulous, timeless tart featuring an easy-to-mix shortbread crust and a tart, rich filling. Top it with whatever fruit is pretty and in season. If you are lucky enough to have access to Meyer lemons, you can replace up to two-thirds of the regular lemon juice with Meyer lemon juice.

Heirloom carrots, with their deep varied hues of orange, yellow, and purple, are ideal for this salad, but you can use regular carrots and it will be just as delicious. Just make sure they’re organic and smaller in size to ensure the same tender, sweet results. You can use a vegetable peeler or a mandoline to make the ribbons. The vegetable peeler takes a little longer, but produces beautifully thin, delicate strips. A mandoline, on the other hand, is faster but makes thicker ribbons if you are not careful. If you go this route, let the ribbons sit for a few minutes after tossing with the dressing so they soften somewhat.

Because of its seductive red color, this granita is the sexiest slushy on earth. It’s incredibly easy to make and requires the simplest of equipment. To take it over the top, serve with whipped cream or, for that Creamsicle effect, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If blood oranges are not available, you can also use ruby grapefruit, Valencia oranges, pomelos, or Meyer lemons. Tarter citruses will require additional sugar, so taste a bit of the mixture before you freeze it.

This salad demonstrates how fresh winter can taste. The raw fennel is clean, aromatic, and crisp, the citrus sweet and a touch bitter, and the avocado rich and smooth. You can substitute other citrus with similar success or even use several types. To really take this salad over the top, I love to top it with fresh plucked Dungeness crab meat (another winter wonder); about 8 ounces is perfect for four servings.

Olive oil cakes are a traditional Italian treat; this one is unusual in that it uses whole oranges and lemons, not just their zest. This barely sweet dessert—a sophisticated amalgam of heady olive oil, aromatic fruits, and toasted almonds—will win you friends wherever you serve it. Be sure to use good-quality olive oil in this recipe. I prefer a Tuscan blend with a bit of peppery bite to give the cake an interesting dimension. I love serving this cake with whipped crème fraîche that has been lightly sweetened.

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to stop buying bottled salad dressing, this is it. Delicate and well balanced, this dressing complements just about any veggie or grain you choose—in fact, it is the backbone of some of our most popular deli salads. One batch is enough for many salads, so make this, keep it in the fridge, and don’t look back. You can use different vinegars with equally successful results, but you might need to adjust the quantity of vinegar depending on its acidity. Use good-quality extra-virgin olive oil—the flavor will be well worth it on your beautiful greens.

A staple of the Moroccan kitchen, preserved lemons have a tangy, fermented taste. For most recipes, the pulpy flesh is cut away and only the thick peel is used. Brian uses preserved lemons in a flavored butter for Grilled Mahimahi with Preserved Lemon Butter (page 113) and in Manila Clams, Arugula, and White Beans with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette (page 54).

Our homemade ice-cream sandwiches get raves when we serve them for lunch at the Workshop. We assemble them with cake instead of cookies to make them easier to eat. You can use any homemade or store-bought ice cream, but this caramel-banana–chocolate chip invention from pastry chef Marcel Desaulnier, who participated in the 1989 Workshop, is beyond delicious.

When you marry a pastry chef, you don’t have to perfect your baking skills, says Ben Barker, who participated in the 1990 Workshop. That’s why Chef Barker—whose wife, Karen, is a pastry authority—limits himself to simple “beach cottage desserts,” like this cornmeal cake. It’s a homespun, old-fashioned dessert that you can adapt to any summer berries. The sabayon dresses it up for company. Don’t be surprised by the unorthodox method—it really works.

Florida chef Oliver Saucy, who attended the 1995 Workshop, tosses the peaches in his fruit crisp with crystallized ginger—a nice touch. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. Tapioca flour thickens the peach juices without making them cloudy or imparting a floury taste. If you can’t find it, purchase pearl tapioca and grind it fine in a spice mill or coffee grinder.

Compared to cheesecake made primarily with cream cheese, this rendition of the American classic is notably light. We make it with Cowgirl Creamery (opposite page) fromage blanc, which is lower in fat than cream cheese, plus ricotta and mascarpone to enhance the texture. A thin layer of Cowgirl Creamery crème fraîche blankets the top. The result is an easy, elegant, lemony dessert to serve in slender slices with a fruit accompaniment, such as sugared berries, a raspberry sauce, or the strawberry-rhubarb compote suggested here.

If you have never dreamed of putting vinegar in ice cream and can’t imagine what it would taste like, don’t summarily dismiss the idea. Balsamic vinegar, reduced to a syrup, gives ice cream a pale plum color and a caramel note. If you can’t get fresh cherries, serve the ice cream with sugared strawberries or baked figs. Accompany with biscotti or another crisp cookie.