Best Fruit Now

Fruit Buying Guide – September 2010

September’s Fruit Buying Guide offers many helpful tips on selecting the Best Fruit at the market NOW! Do you know what “Natural” Thompsons are? Well you will want to look out for those babies. Black Mission Figs, buy ‘em leaky, yes oozing honey and a recipe for baking them Wrapped in Proscuitto and Stuffed with Goat Cheese – Easy and Delicious from Chef Melissa. Soon to be finished Mixed Melons. Do not miss out and learn how to find the best melons, favorites now are Sharlyn, Canari, Cranshaw, and Orange Flesh Honeydews- it’s now or never with these guys!

Fruit Buying Guide – July 2010

This month is the clearly the best overall quality month for fruit in years! Really, I mean that, of the last 30 months I have written the Fruit Buying Guide THIS is number 1! Highlights for July’s Fruit Buying Guide are that Peaches are sweet and juicy, Plums are fantastic, and all the Berries are perfecto! Watch Chef Melissa and Chef Theo whip up a couple of very timely recipes; Amaretto Peach Parfait and Mixed Berry Crostada! Make a point of enjoying this month as the quality and values are awesome!

Amaretto Peach Parfait

2 large, ripe peaches, pitted, peeled and diced ½ cup Orange juice ¼ cup Lime juice 2 oz. Amaretto (optional) 1 Tbsp Fresh ginger, minced 2 Tbsp Sugar 1 cup Plain or vanilla yogurt 1 cup Pound Cake, cubed and divided Fresh mint for garnish

Combine orange juice, lime juice, amaretto, ginger and sugar in small saucepan. Simmer, [...]

Fruit Buying Guide – August 2009

The August Fruit Buying Guide begins with a plea to visit your local farm market and see the fresh and delicious offerings. Summer goes quickly and NOW is the time to enjoy fruit at it’s freshest! Also recommended are Dapple Dandy Pluots, this is the pluot that sparked a revolution and these babies are BEST NOW! Perhaps you like the sugary sweetness of a perfect white fleshed peach? Well now is the time as California’s are running awesome now! In the Fruit’s to Try section Tommy K suggests you seek out the sweet and delicate Champagne grape just before going out to slay the Dragon Fruit!

Mixed Berry Crostata

Source: Country Living Magazine, Date unknown; Modified by Chef Melissa, A la Maison Personal Chef Service

This recipe is part of my personal collection that I accumulated long before starting A la Maison Personal Chef Service. I copied it out of Country Living Magazine years ago and have made it many times since substituting [...]

Peach Gazpacho

Source: Bucks County Courier Times, August 23, 2006; modified by Chef Melissa, A la Maison Personal Chef Service

This recipe was given to me by a client who hired me to cook for a surprise anniversary dinner for him and his wife. It’s best suited for summer (August) when peaches are at their peak [...]