Excerpted from FIELD NOTES FOR FOOD ADVENTURE by Brad Leone. Copyright © 2021 by Brad Leone. Photographs by Pat O’Malley. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whipped cream
- ½ cup mascarpone, whipped
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Pinch kosher salt
- Drizzle of maple syrup, plus more for serving (optional)
- Oil or butter
- 4 mixed stone fruits, halved and pitted (peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums)
- 10 fresh figs, halved if large, whole if small
- 20 whole cherries, pitted
- ½ cup shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped
- Fresh herbs for garnish (any combination of mint, basil, or herb of choice)
Preparation
In a medium bowl, fold together the whipped cream, whipped mascarpone, vanilla bean paste, salt and maple syrup. Keep cold.
Heat a grill, cast-iron skillet, or griddle to medium high. Brush the grate or surface with a little oil or butter. Brown the stone fruit, figs and cherries, flipping and searing so all sides are cooked.
Don’t let the fruit get so soft it falls apart, but you want it to pick up nice caramelization. I cook the different types of fruit separately as they tend to cook at different rates, but you can cook them all at once if you’re comfortable with that.
To serve, fill the bottom of serving bowls with the cream mixture and top with some fruit, maple syrup and pistachios. A little mint, basil or herb of choice won’t hurt ya.
