Cooking with fruit yields sweet surprise

When Nigel Slater’s book Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard appeared on my desk a few weeks ago, I stopped what I was doing to immediately go through it.

I’ve been a fan of the British food writer since my equally British friend introduced me to his cookbook Appetite and then let me pore over it for about an hour.

His latest, a rather large book dedicated to recipes based on fruits (and a nut or two) is just as easy to get lost in.

The gorgeous photos — though not one for each recipe — along with poetic prose make it a treat to read and cook from.

(And who can resist recipe names like A Quivering Jelly or A Deeply Appley Apple Crumble?)

I love the conversational tone of Slater’s writing; his instructions read as if he’s standing in the kitchen next to you, gently coaxing you along. Not that any of the recipes in this book appear particularly complex or arduous; despite its rather thick size, this is a good book for those of all skill levels.

He offers advice on good (and some unexpected) pairings for the fruits, quick ideas for other ways to use each one, along with historical tidbits and even gardening tips.

After going through it a few times, I found myself coming back to his recipe for a Blackberry Focaccia — a flatbread topped with the juicy berries, a drizzle of olive oil and a sugar sprinkle.

I’ve been tempted before by recipes that combine this Italian flatbread with fruit, so I had high hopes.

And they were not in vain.

Let me put it this way: I ate two pieces, still warm, right over the sink, possibly moaning between bites.

The focaccia is slightly sweet, fluffy but with a good amount of chew. The dusting of icing sugar (and slight sprinkle of berry sugar before baking) offsets the tart blackberries.

The bread was so good I might even use this recipe — minus the sugar and berries — as a savoury focaccia, maybe topped with olives or caramelized onions.

A few notes, though. First, my focaccia didn’t want to come off the pan, so I might suggest greasing it lightly before putting on the dough. Second, although it says to bake for 35 to 40 minutes, mine was cooked to perfection at the 22-minute mark, so check early.

Source: http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Cooking+with+fruit+yields+sweet+surprise/6625731/story.html#ixzz1v2NQuS5K