Press Releases
Sweet Finales to Hot Summer Days
6/1/2003
Even for dessert, fresh California peaches, plums and nectarines add much-needed nutrients and antioxidants to your summer diet
REEDLEY, Calif. - It's been a long, hot day, and a big hot fudge sundae sounds like the perfect ending to a perfect summer day. But before you reach for the chocolate syrup, consider a dessert featuring fresh California peaches, plums or nectarines as a healthier and possibly lighter alternative. With the wide variety of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables available, summer is the ideal time to get into the habit of incorporating more fresh produce into your daily diet. Long known as an important part of a healthy diet, fruits and vegetables provide the body with much needed vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients important for good health. Dessert is an ideal time to add additional fruits into your diet while still indulging yourself.
"Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into the diet is much easier than some people think, and dessert is a perfect example," said Pat Baird, R.D., a nutrition expert and author of a new brochure called Hot Tips for Healthful and Colorful Summer Eating. "By making desserts with fresh fruits like peaches, plums and nectarines, you can add valuable nutrients while still enjoying a sweet treat." Baird's brochure is based on a new Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) health initiative called "5 A Day: The Color Way." That program, launched last fall, emphasizes the importance of eating a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables for optimum health. The Color Way is an expansion of PBH's original 5 A Day for Better Health program: people are encouraged to eat fruits and vegetables by color for maximum nutritional benefit. The program categorizes fresh produce into five color groups: Blue/Purple, Yellow/Orange, Red, White, and Green. Produce in each category provides different nutrients and health benefits to the body.
"Eating for color is a good way to ensure that you're getting the wide range of health benefits your body needs," Baird says. "For a healthful dessert, consider a fruit and yogurt parfait, for example, with peaches, plums, raspberries and kiwifruit. By including a range of fruit, you're covering your color bases too."
Other suggestions for incorporating fresh fruit into summer desserts include:
Grilling fresh peaches or nectarines and serving with honey
Roast plums in the oven and finish with a low fat ricotta cheese topping
Use peaches, plums and nectarines in tarts and sorbets
Top ice cream or frozen yogurt with fresh fruit slices instead of syrups
Whirl diced peaches or plums in a blender with yogurt or ice cream
Serve angel food cake with fresh fruit
Bake or grill a peach half with chocolate melted in the center.
Baird's brochure, along with offering tips for incorporating fruits and vegetables into the diet, includes tips for protecting your skin from the inside out during the summer; information on shedding weight healthfully and sensibly; strategies for keeping your stomach satisfied with high fiber, low calorie foods; and choosing, handling and ripening California peaches, plums and nectarines. The free brochure is available through the California Tree Fruit Agreement's Web site, www.eatcaliforniafruit.com, or by mail at "Hot Tips," CTFA; P.O. Box 968; Reedley, CA 93654-0968. Following are some simple desserts made with California peaches, plums and nectarines, available May through October:
Peach Fold Up Tart
Makes 8 servings
The perfect showcase for California peaches, this delicious, rustic dessert is a snap to make. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired to make this sweet treat even sweeter.
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh California peaches, sliced (approximately 4 peaches)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 sheet prepared puff pastry dough, 10 inches by 16 inches and 1/4-inch thick, thawed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Method:
Preheat oven to 375° F. In a bowl, combine the peaches, sugar and flour and toss to mix. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine. On a floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 15-inch round, about 1/4-inch thick. Place the pastry on an ungreased baking sheet and spoon the peaches into the center, leaving about 2 inches uncovered around the perimeter. The fruit will be stacked high but will reduce in volume as it cooks. Fold the uncovered edges of the pastry up to cover as much of the fruit as possible, pinching and tucking the dough as necessary. Dot the top of the fruit with the butter pieces. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Do not undercook. Cut into wedges and serve hot.
Nutrition information per serving - PROTEIN: 1 gram; FAT: 3 grams; CARBOHYDRATE: 17 grams; FIBER: 2 grams; SODIUM: 17 milligrams; CHOLESTEROL: 4 milligrams; CALORIES: 94 calories.
Oven Roasted California Plums
Makes 4 servings
It doesn't get any simpler than this! Very elegant but so easy, this dessert can be made in advance and pulled out to complete a summer barbecue. Top with ice cream or whipped cream, or for a low fat option, a ricotta cheese mixture.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
1 vanilla bean
6 fresh California plums, pitted and halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons sugar
Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling (optional)
Ice cream, whipped cream or ricotta cheese topping* (optional)
* Blend 3/4 cup skim milk ricotta cheese and 3 tablespoons honey in a food processor until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.
Method:
Heat oven to 400° F. Pour orange juice into an ovenproof baking or gratin dish. With the tip of a sharp knife, scrape the insides of the vanilla bean into the dish, reserving the pod. Place halved plums, cut-side down, in the baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar and lay the vanilla pod on top of the plums. Bake until the plums are slightly slumped and feel a little soft, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature in the baking dish, then remove and chill until ready to serve. Reserve any pan juices to pour over the plums later.
To serve, place three plum halves cut-side up on a plate. Top with ice cream, whipped cream or ricotta cheese topping, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired. Drizzle with reserved pan juices. Serve immediately.
Recipe Credit: Gale Gand, Tru, Chicago
Nutrition information per serving - PROTEIN: 1 gram; FAT: <1 gram; CARBOHYDRATE: 23 grams; FIBER: 1 gram; SODIUM: 2 milligrams; CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams; CALORIES: 92 calories.
Grand Finale Sorbet
Makes 4 servings
A great frozen summer dessert for kids and adults alike, without a lot of unnecessary calories or fat. Experiment with several of the variations to find your favorite.
Basic Ingredients:
5 cups fresh California peaches, plums or nectarines, diced*
1 cup frozen fruit juice concentrate
1/2 cup sugar
* Approximately 6-8 peaches or nectarines, or 9-10 plums
Method:
Combine diced fruit and fruit concentrate in a blender or food processor. Whirl until smooth. Add sugar; whirl. Stir in any other ingredients directed in the selected variation (below). Freeze in ice cream maker, following machine instructions. To make sorbet extra smooth, allow sorbet to stand out of the freezer for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Variations:
Use peaches and undiluted frozen berry concentrate
Use nectarines and orange OR mango-orange juice concentrate, plus 4 teaspoons of chopped candied ginger
Use plums and cranberry OR cranberry-raspberry juice concentrate, plus an additional ¼ cup sugar
Use nectarines and guava OR pineapple-guava-orange juice concentrate, plus 1-1/2 teaspoons of grated lime peel
Nutrition information per serving - PROTEIN: 3 grams; FAT: 1 gram; CARBOHYDRATE: 82 grams; FIBER: 4 grams; SODIUM: 8 milligrams; CHOLESTEROL: 0 milligrams; CALORIES: 326