20 Super Easy Fruit Recipes

For any fruit:5 minute fruit gazpacho: put chopped, peeled (where preferred) fruits into the blender and purée. Chill (or blend already cold fruit), add a dash of lemon & salt, and pour into a bowl. Serve plain, or with sprinkled herbs, chopped fruit, or a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream, maybe mixed with a drop of honey. Try a fruit salad with tomatoes (they mix well-it's true!). Combine 1 pint of multicolored cherry tomatoes with ½ cup any mixture of berries or other fruit (try adding pomegranate seeds). Mix with good olive oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar of your choice, let sit to marry flavors and serve with or without chopped fresh herbs. Flavored syrup for drizzling over fresh fruit (a simple, light dessert that lets the fruit remain center stage). Make a quick simple syrup by boiling 1 cup water with ½ cup sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat and add about 2 Tbsp fresh chopped herbs like rosemary, lemon balm or verbena, rose geranium leaves, thyme, basil, or 1 tsp black pepper, chamomile or jasmine tea for some suggestions. Let steep for at least 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve and drizzle over any combo of fruit. Store remaining syrup in fridge for later use. A Shrub (a vinegar-based fruit mix used as a drink base): Mix 1 lb of unpeeled but pitted fruit of your choice (berries & stone fruits are delicious) with ¾ cup of sugar in a glass or ceramic (not plastic) bowl, mashing up fruit until juicy. Cover and refrigerate for 24 or more hours. Stir, add ¾ cup vinegar, chill. Strain into a glass jar or bottle. Use immediately or leave to deepen flavor.

• Mix 1 part shrub to 2-3 parts seltzer, ginger beer, or substitute 1 oz distilled liquor of your choice.

Berries/Cherries:Sauce for melon. Boil ½ pint raspberries (the prettiest and tastiest choice), blueberries, or blackberries with 1 cup each water and sugar; lower heat and stir occasionally for about 15 mins; strain (to get seeds out), pressing down to get all the liquid out; let cool. Drizzle over or around finely diced ripe cantaloupe or similar melon (or press it into a small mold to make a "cake"; use a vegetable peeler to make melon "ribbons" to place around the sides. Cherry ice. (Or try with other ripe, juicy fruit).Whisk together ½ cup dry white wine, 1/3 cup honey, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Place 2 cups pitted cherries in a food processor and mix well; stir into liquid mixture and transfer to a shallow metal pan and place in freezer. Stir with fork every 15 mins or until slushy. Serve alone or with fresh sliced cherries on top. Pickled: Whisk 1 cup white or champagne vinegar, ¼ cup sugar, 1¾ Tbsp kosher salt and ¼ cup water in a medium bowl until sugar and sale dissolve.  Add 1¾ lbs berries and thinly sliced red onion, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight before serving. Eat on cheese toasts, sandwiches, salads, fish, chicken, etc.  Melon: Watermelon Mint Popsicles: In a blender, puree 1½ lbs diced, seedless watermelon with 2 Tbsp sugar until smooth. Stir in the ¼ cup minced mint leaves, 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Pour the puree into 8 Popsicle molds or 2 standard ice cube trays (insert Popsicle sticks halfway through freezing) and freeze until hard, about 3 hours. Yes, watermelon can be grilled! Brush 1 inch-thick slices with olive oil, salt & pepper. Grill directly over high heat about 1 minute per side. Top with Greek yogurt mixed with 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme or other herb you like. Cube up enough sweet ripe melon for servings you need. Pour Chardonnay over cubes, freeze, then puree in blender for a quick, refreshing granita. Cantaloupe Salad (or similar orange or green-flesh melon) is delicious with dressed bitter greens. Cube it up fresh cut or flash-grilled, toss with herbs and mix with arugula, Tatsoi, Choi, baby kale. Add a cooked protein and call it a meal.  Quick watermelon salad. In a large bowl, toss 8 cups cubed, seedless watermelon with ¼ cup fresh lime juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Fold in ½ cup torn mint leaves, season with pinch of salt and serve. Peaches/Nectaries/Apricots:Southeast Asian Salsa. In a mortar (or using a mini food processor), pound 1 clove garlic and 1 seeded chile with 2 Tbsp light brown sugar until a paste forms. Stir in the 3 Tbsp fish sauce, 2 Tbsp lime juice and 2 Tbsp of water. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in 3 peeled & diced peaches or nectarines, ¼ cup chopped cilantro and 2 Tbsp chopped mint. Cocktails. In a highball glass, combine the 1 oz vodka, ½ oz ginger liqueur and 3oz peach puree; stir. Add crushed ice and stir again. Top with the 1oz ginger beer and swizzle by spinning a swizzle stick or bar spoon between your hands. Garnish with peach slices. or try Stone Fruit with Champagne: toss a slice into a glass of champagne or sparkling soda and sip & nibble. or, perhaps you'd like Nectarine in Red Wine: marinate nectarine (or peeled peach) slices in slightly sweetened red wine or grape juice. Eat or use as a topping. Delicious with pound cake or shortbread topped with whipped cream. Salsa. Combine 2 large peeled, diced peaches, nectarines or apricots, 1 seeded & minced jalapeño, 1 Tbsp lime juice and 2 tsp sugar. Serve with anything you like. Grilled Peaches and Ice Cream: Grill peaches and serve over ice cream, topped with a drizzle of balsamic or fruit vinegar rum, or other liqueur.  Plums: Grilled Plums with Olive Oil and Cinnamon. Brush cut side of plums with olive oil, drizzle with 1 Tbsp honey, and sprinkle with a pinch each of cinnamon and orange zest. Place plums on the grill, cut side down, and grill for 2 minutes or until golden brown and slightly caramelized. Turn over and grill until just heated through, approximately 1 minute longer. Grilled Stuffed Plums. Brush plums or other stone fruit with olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper, grill both sides, fill pit hole with cream cheese or mascarpone cheese mixed with a little chili powder & sprinkle with fresh lime juice. Grilled Plums with Balsamic and Rosemary. Brush with oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with rosemary.