18 Methods to Amp Up Flavorless Fruit With Jams, Cobblers, and Extra

July 24, 2025

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Many dad and mom of younger kids are within the berry distribution enterprise, transporting the tiny, quick-to-spoil fruits from any and all sources to feed their youngsters’ near-bottomless appetites. Raspberries are the present fruit du jour in my family, with peaches and apricots shut behind. We’re fortunate to be swimming in summer season fruit, however even on the top of the season you’ll be able to choose up a carton of duds. (I nonetheless get unhappy interested by the $10 I spent on a flavorless pint of shining, pert little strawberries from a farmers market on the Outer Cape over a yr in the past. My expectations have been so excessive!) However no fruit want go to waste, as there are a lot of methods to remodel and even amplify lackluster produce. When you’ve got an ideal peach, go forward and eat it out of hand. Should you do not, learn on.

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Straightforward Do-it-yourself Jam

Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

This versatile recipe from fermentation specialist April McGreger will remodel nearly any contemporary fruit into candy, scrumptious preserves. “The best jams depend on evaporation and the fruits’ pure pectin to realize a luscious, spoonable texture,” McGreger says. “Small batch sizes cooked on the highest warmth in vast pots permit jams to thicken shortly, preserving the fruit’s vivid, contemporary flavors.”

Raspberry Clafoutis

Kelsey Hansen / Meals Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell

Vintner Alix de Montille shares a recipe for the traditional French dessert that makes use of raspberries as a substitute of the standard cherries. In truth, nearly any sort of contemporary fruit may be thrown right into a custardy clafoutis. To additional amp up the flavour, take into account including a teaspoon of pure vanilla or almond extract.

Peach Chutney

Adam Friedlander / Meals Styling by Pearl Jones

A mixture of ginger, cardamom, scorching chiles, and apple cider vinegar transforms contemporary peaches right into a deeply spiced chutney that retains for months and perks up any meal, from roasted meats to sandwiches.

Candy Beets Smoothie

Sarah Crowder

Earthy beets and kale are balanced out with the assistance of a heaping serving to of contemporary (or frozen) berries and bananas, with a touch of cinnamon and a single date for added complexity and sweetness. This recipe is extremely customizable: Nearly any contemporary fruit will liven it up.

Previous-Customary Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Diana Chistruga

Tart rhubarb and juicy strawberries bubble below a golden oat topping on this foolproof crisp that works simply as effectively with different contemporary berries and stone fruit. It is easy to make and very best served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Burst Blueberry Sauce

Jessica Pettway / Meals Styling by Micah Morton / Prop Styling by Paola Andrea

In a recipe she initially shared for Juneteenth, author Nicole A. Taylor blends blueberries with shallots, thyme, and chipotles in adobo to make a sticky sauce brightened by pink wine and balsamic vinegar. This vibrant, fruity condiment pairs fantastically with virtually any grilled meat.

Summer time Berry Galette

Meals & Wine / Picture by Jason Donnelly / Meals Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans

Straightforward and chic, galettes include multitudes — multitudes of fruit, that’s. This recipe yields a flaky, golden crust that may maintain any mixture of berries, simply persist with the identical quantity quantities.

Combined-Fruit Pico

Greg Dupree / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Mango, pineapple, and kiwi carry sweetness and tang to this savory salsa fresca. Apply it to high of tacos or grilled meat — or alongside a bowl of chips. Relying on what’s in your fruit bowl, you may as well sub in stone fruit for the mango.

Strawberry-Chile Balsamic Shrub

Jennifer Causey / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

Jillian Vose of the Charleston cocktail bar Hazel and Apple shares this recipe for a sweet-tart, smoky-spicy shrub utilizing blended strawberries and dried chiles de árbol. This vinegar-based syrup can be utilized to brighten a cocktail or to high off a glass of seltzer: Both means, the result’s delicous.

Bitter Cherry Pie

Jennifer Causey / Meals Styling by Margret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

This contemporary cherry pie combines each bitter and Bing cherries alongside an almond frangipane inside an all-butter crust. Do not neglect the Turbinado sugar: It offers the highest crust a bit of glitz and lots of candy crunch.

Strawberry Granita with Candy Pesto

Victor Protasio

Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson serves a tangy strawberry granita with a shiny, nutty pesto made out of basil, mint, and honey. High it with whipped cream,

Summer time Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla-Mascarpone Biscuits

Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer & John Somerall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

This cobbler calls for two 1/2 kilos — about 10 cups — of summer season fruit (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, or stone fruit) in any mixture. Tender shortcake-style biscuits made with vanilla and mascarpone high the jammy filling.

Pear, Honey, and Parmigiano-Reggiano Tart

Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

This tart from meals author Kate Leahy layers baked pears with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly cracked black pepper, and a beneficiant drizzle of honey. The dough incorporates Parmigiano-Reggiano, giving it that rather more savory richness.

Virtually-Prompt Tender-Serve

Greg DuPree

One among F&W’s 40 greatest recipes, this smooth serve from Justin Chapple is impressed by Ferran Adrià of the legendary restaurant elBulli. By mixing frozen fruit with sweetened condensed milk, this dish is as straightforward as it’s scrumptious — no ice cream maker needed.

Spiced and Pickled Blackberries

Frances Janisch

Allspice, juniper, ginger, bay leaf, and peppercorns taste a fruit-ready brine for this pickled blackberry recipe. The ultimate product is a perfect accompaniment on a cheese or charcuterie plate or as a snack straight from the jar. Greatest but, it retains for as much as three months.

Summer time Fruit Soup

Evi Abeler

Jacques Pépin amplifies the summer season fruit taste on this sweet-savory seasonal soup with black currant liqueur and strawberry jam. And that is after he poaches contemporary plums, cherries, and grapes in white wine. Serve up with mint leaves and a slice of toasted brioche.

Grilled Fruit with Honeyed Lemon Thyme Vinegar

Con Poulos

When you’ve got a hearth already going, throw some fruit on the grill for this easy dessert from chef Dan Barber. After cooking over low warmth for simply 5 minutes, take away after which drizzle with a do-it-yourself honeyed vinegar infused with lemon and thyme.

Contemporary Fruit Cake

Julie Craig

Impressed by a household recipe for German apple kuchen and a memorable fruit cake from baker Jim Dodge, this tender buttermilk cake is straightforward to make and very best for utilizing up further fruit.

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