Holding on to Summer

I love fruit.  I was lucky enough to grow up with several fruit trees in my backyard (apple, asian pear, cherry, and nectarine), and eating fruit was a great way to legitimize sugar consumption as a kid.  Now if I have to choose between a fruit-based dessert, and a chocolate one, I will almost always select the former.  I know not everyone is on the same page, like my husband for example, but I think even chocoholics should change their tune during the summer months.  How can you neglect a sweet, sun-kissed peach?  C'mon people!

Although I am a strong advocate for fruit desserts, I know some shy away from them because they can be disappointingly sweet, with unvarying texture.  To tempt even the devoted cacao lover, a fruit dessert should be well-balanced, just like good chocolate is.  When making fruit desserts, it's often a good practice to find your fruit before you pick a vessel to showcase it.  Choose the best fruit, with the most vibrant color, and a good balance between sweet and tart.  Most of us are aware of ways to "fix" imperfect fruit with lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, or salt, but no matter what you do, there is no true magic wand.  Follow your nose.  A pleasant aroma will usually guide you to good flavor.

Now that I no longer have the luxury of the long growing seasons of California, I must take advantage of what I can, when I can.  So luckily, I found overripe, local, yellow nectarines, that would be perfect for jam. 

I let my taste buds guide me, but here's a loose recipe.  The pectin is optional, but useful if you want a thicker jam.

Nectarine Jam:
7-8 large nectarines, peeled, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
~1/2 c sugar, depends on sweetness of fruit
1/2 t pectin (optional)

Basic jam method:
1) Add cut up fruit to pot
2) Add sugar, let macerate until fruit releases some juice
3) Cook on med-low heat, stirring occasionally.  You can use a wooden spoon or a potato masher to further break up the fruit pieces.  A nice, low simmer with small bubbles, is a good way to go.  The thicker it gets, the more carefully you have to watch it, so it doesn't burn.  
4) Cook until desired consistency, remembering that as it cools it will get thicker
5) If you want to add pectin, sprinkle it in while stirring, and let it bubble for 5 more minutes.  
6) Take off the heat and cool.

My fruit was very soft, so it released juices quickly.  If yours
isn't as ripe, let it macerate overnight in the fridge.

Jam is a great thing to have on the stove while accomplishing
other kitchen tasks.  Every once in while, give it a stir.  Once you
can feel the wooden spoon sticking on the bottom when you stir,
keep a close watch.

Jams are great served with cheese, drizzled over vanilla ice cream, or stirred into plain yogurt.  You can also freeze it, and save it for some desperately needed summertime in the middle of January.  This particular batch was destined for nectarine-cornmeal hand pies.  

The recipe for cornmeal pâte brisée (literally broken dough in french, AKA pie crust) is from one of my favorite baking books: Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.This recipe substitutes cornmeal for a portion of the flour in a traditional pâte brisée recipe.  Substituting cornmeal, or even ground nuts or whole wheat flour in a recipe, provides a coarse texture and nuttiness that contrasts sweet, tart, and smooth-textured fruits.

The Recipe: Cornmeal pâte brisée (enough for 2 x 9-inch pie crusts or 20 hand pies) adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook:

2 c AP flour (270g)
1/2 c cornmeal (60g)
1 t salt
1 t sugar
1 c butter
1/4-1/2 c ice water

Tweaks: Maybe an extra 1/4 t salt, your choice.

Method:  
1) Mix dry ingredients in bowl
2) Cut in cold butter using hands, knives, mixer or food processor.  Stop when largest pieces of butter are pea-sized.  
3) Add cold water in slowly, mix until dough becomes a shaggy mess 
4) Bring dough together on plastic wrap.  Wrap and rest in fridge for about 20 minutes, until slightly firm.

No need to sift

Cold butter!  If in doubt, throw the whole bowl in the freezer
for 10 minutes.

Little chunks = flaky pastry

Shaggy is ideal.  Resist the temptation to knead or over mix.  

Use the plastic wrap to bring the dough together.
Let it rest in fridge.

At this point, dough can be rolled out and used to make galettes, like in the book, or in this case, hand pies.

Hand pie assembly:
1) Working with one half of the dough at a time, roll it out to ~1/8 inch
2) Cut into squares and place ~1T of jam in the middle
3) Fold squares over and crimp edges with the tines of a fork
4) If you are feeling fancy, brush with egg or cream, for extra color
5) Bake until edges are golden brown at 375°F, about 30 minutes.  Rotate after 15 min.

If the dough isn't sticking to itself because it's too dry, moisten the edges with a tiny amount of water.  Also, avoid the tendency to add too much jam.  Leave enough room to crimp the edge closed.

If the dough becomes difficult to work with stick it in the freezer
for a few minutes

Do not over fill!

And to think, I always wanted Pop-tarts as a kid...

The Result: Flaky and scrumptious.  I apparently lost a little focus while crimping the edges, so they popped open slightly, but fortunately the pectin-thickened jam didn't leak everywhere.  Well-executed pâte brisée is a close relative to puff pastry, and this application reminds me of more complicated breakfast pastries. 

The Verdict:  I scarfed one of these down by myself, and then quickly hurried over to a new friend's place before I ate them all, so I would definitely make them again.  These would be nice for a brunch potluck, or tucked into the lunch bag of someone special.  

If you don't have the time or energy to make the pie crust, I encourage you to at least try making a quick batch of jam.  It's not very complicated, but it's a great way to celebrate summer before all the stone fruit and berries disappear.  I know for some people it may not satiate the dire need for chocolate, but it's certainly a nice distraction.