We have about three weeks left of really great stone fruit. So let’s take advantage of it!Â
Right now the peaches are heavy and dripping and slightly bruised in the good way. The plums are jammy. The cherries are still around if you look for them. And the apricots, which nobody ever thinks to cook with, are quietly the best of the bunch. Here is everything in my archive worth making before the season turns. Sweet and savory, appetizers through dessert, plus a cocktail because it is still summer.
Quick note if you are new here: peaches, plums, cherries, apricots and nectarines are all stone fruit. Same family, same big pit in the middle, mostly interchangeable in a pinch. So if a recipe calls for peaches and your farmstand only has nectarines, go for it.
Stone Fruit Appetizers and Shareables
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Peach, Burrata, Prosciutto and Basil Pastries
Flaky puff pastry, salty prosciutto, sweet peaches and creamy burrata torn over the top with a drizzle of honey. This is the tray everyone photographs before they eat. If you make one thing off this list for a party, make this.
Baked Brie with Balsamic Peaches and Thyme
Baked brie is a year round crowd pleaser but the summer version is something else. I grill the peaches and the brie together in a cast iron skillet, but you can absolutely do the whole thing in the oven if you do not feel like firing anything up.
Cherry Berry Baked Brie Galette with a Cherry Balsamic Reduction
A full centerpiece moment. Make it before your guests arrive, put it in the middle of the table with a baguette and some crackers, and let people go at it.
Balsamic Cherry and Halloumi Salad
Sweet cherries, salty chewy halloumi, herby arugula, crunchy pistachios and a balsamic that ties it together. Cherry season is even shorter than peach season so do not sleep on this one.
Apricot and Halloumi Skewers with Hot Honey and Thyme
The roasted halloumi gets crispy at the edges, the apricots go jammy, and the whole thing gets drizzled in thyme hot honey. Salty, sweet, a little spicy, and they disappear in about two minutes. Full recipe is in my Golden Hour menu booklet over on The Dining Room.
Fresh Stone Fruit Salads
Peach Panzanella with Mozzarella, Basil and Mint
Panzanella only works when the produce is genuinely good, which is exactly why it belongs on this list right now. The toasted sourdough soaks up all the peach and tomato juice and the torn mozzarella takes it over the top. Skip the bread and pile in arugula if you want it lighter or gluten free.
Peach, Corn and Cucumber Summer Salad with Basil and Mint
This one came out of two weeks of cooking for my family in East Hampton, where I basically lived at the farm stands. Crunchy, cold, herby, and the exact thing you want next to something off the grill. It is part of my July Hamptons Summer menu.
Stone Fruit Main Dishes
Peach Burrata Chicken Cutlet Sandwich
Crispy chicken cutlet, juicy peaches, creamy burrata, balsamic glaze and basil on toasted ciabatta. Use peaches that are ripe but still a little firm so they hold their shape when you slice them.
Skirt Steak with Peach Chimichurri
If you take one recipe from this whole list into your back pocket, make it this one. It comes together in about 30 minutes and it gets the exact reaction every time: wait, peaches with steak?
BBQ Spatchcock Chicken with Mustardy Peach Basil Salsa
I used to think whole chicken was a cold weather thing. This recipe proved me wrong. Charred and caramelized on the grill with a peach salsa cut with whole grain mustard.
Apricot Glazed Chicken with Arugula
Apricots are the most underrated stone fruit and this is my case for them. Find the full recipe over on The Dining Room.
Easy Peach BBQ Chicken
The weeknight one. You can use fresh peaches now that they are actually good, or canned if you are in a hurry, and it works either way.
Balsamic Peach, Basil and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast
Chicken breasts stuffed with balsamic peaches, basil, arugula and goat cheese, served over a simple arugula salad with more peaches on top. Dinner party energy without dinner party effort.
Grilled Pork Chops with Dijon Peach BBQ Sauce
Whole grain Dijon, cream, fresh peaches and BBQ sauce. Like if Carolina gold sauce spent a summer in France. Pork loves a sweet fruit companion but this would be just as good on chicken or even scallops.
Sweet Stone Fruit Desserts
Brown Butter Peach Pie
Browned butter, brown sugar and peaches cooked down into a filling so good you could honestly put it on anything. Any crust you like works here, though mine is all butter.
Rustic Plum and Almond Galette
The slightly more grown up version, with almond in the mix. This one is from my September menu, so it is perfect for that stretch where summer is technically over but the fruit has not gotten the memo.
Cornmeal Olive Oil Cake with Whipped Cream and Seasonal Fruit
Rustic, elegant, and genuinely one bowl. Pile whatever stone fruit you have on top. It looks like it came from a bakery and it tastes even better the next day.
A Peach Cocktail for Summer
Peach French 75
Golden, sparkly, and it goes with everything above it on this list.
A Few Things Worth Knowing About Stone Fruit
Ripen on the counter, store in the fridge. Peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots keep ripening after they are picked. Leave them out until they give slightly when you press near the stem, then move them to the fridge to slow things down.
Firm is your friend for anything cooked. Grilling, roasting or stuffing? You want ripe but still a little firm, or you will end up with mush. Save the truly soft ones for eating over the sink.
They are mostly interchangeable. Nectarines for peaches, apricots for plums. Adjust your sugar a little depending on how sweet the fruit is and you will be fine.
Frozen counts. Especially for pie filling. Nobody is checking.
If you make any of these, tag me. I love seeing them.
And if you want the full menus with grocery lists, prep timelines and wine pairings, they live over in The Dining Room.
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