Summer just might be the best time of year, but not for its beach days or outdoor barbecues. Out of every season, summer undeniably has the best desserts. Why? Because everything delicious is in season: berries, peaches, plums and mangos.
So while we still might be stuck inside this summer due to coronavirus, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on seasonal fun. Instead, you can take on some fun baking projects to pass the time and celebrate summer. (And you can make something tasty for you and your quarantine buddies!)
- Pavlova
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Haven’t heard of pavlova before? Then there’s no better time to try out a new dessert this summer!
Pavlova is a dessert made up of baked discs of meringue sandwiched with some sort of filling, like whipped cream and fruit.
For this baking project, you can take advantage of summer fruits in season. Pile your pavlova high with ripe strawberries and juicy blackberries. Or go for something more tropical with fresh mangos and pineapple. Maybe you prefer something richer, like lots of cherries with chocolate.
No matter what you pick, that’s part of the beauty of pavlova. The flavor possibilities are endless and always tasty.
Making pavlova will also help you avoid one of the biggest challenges to baking in the summer: You don’t have to heat up the whole house when it’s a billion degrees outside. When you’re baking the meringue, one of the cardinal rules is baking it low and slow; this will give that perfect pillowy-on-the inside, crisp-on-the-outside texture you’re after.
If you want to start off with something a bit simpler, this recipe is a good place to start. But if you’re feeling up to the challenge, here’s a recipe for a tall layered pavlova.
- Cobbler
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I’m just gonna say it: Cobbler beats pie anyday. A cobbler has a way better balance of buttery dough to sweet tart fruit than a pie. And you don’t have to worry about messing with crimping dough or making lattices.
This is also a great way to make summer fruit shine in a dessert. Plums? Nectarines? Peaches? All of these are delicious on their own when they’re in season. But putting them in a cobbler and covering them with a sugary batter topping is even better.
One of my all time favorite recipes is this crispy peach cobbler from Smitten Kitchen. This is the recipe I wait to make all year round. It’s that amazing. Trust me. Once you try it, you’ll feel the same way. - Fruit Tart
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Now you might see the word ‘tart’ and think, “No way. That’s too complicated. Me? Making pastry?!”
But trust me. Making a tart crust isn’t as hard as it seems. You have lots of options, like making it with a food processor or just using your hands. In the end, the hardest part is just knowing when to stop working the dough so it’s perfectly flaky and butter.
And honestly, one of the great things about fruit tarts is that they’re so easy to make, but others won’t know that. Your family, friends, and even Instagram followers will be in awe when you show them that you’ve baked a fruit tart from scratch.
Try out this fruit tart recipe if you’re interested. What’s better than the combination of glazed fresh fruit, vanilla pastry cream, and a crisp pastry crust?
Even if summer 2020 is different, it doesn’t mean that you have to be stuck inside doing nothing. Instead, you can make one or all of these recipes, and I guarantee that trying out a new recipe and making something sweet to eat is better than bingeing another Netflix show.