One thing’s for sure about summer: its abundance of glorious fruit makes pulling together a quick and effortless dessert easier than ever. Which is just what you want during summer, when you would rather be spending more time outdoors at the pool or beach instead of in the kitchen hovering over a hot oven. The formula for summer desserts is impossibly easy: just head to your local market and choose whatever fruit or berry is in-season and at its height of flavor and ripeness. And then pair it with one of our easy recipes below to create these delicious juicy summer fruit desserts.
Cherry Almond Shortbread Tart
Juicy, tart summer cherries meet buttery, nutty cookies in this delightfully simple dessert. The flavors of almond and summer’s ripest fruit are a classic pairing, and when made in a Sheet Pan it creates a thinner cookie bar with the perfect fruit to crust ratio. The key is the crust recipe that does double duty – first press it into the pan to create the shortbread-like crust, and then roll out the same dough to create the crunchy, cookie topping. For a fun variation, cut out the cookies into festive, seasonal shapes to enjoy all summer long.
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Cherry Clafoutis
Clafoutis is an iconic French dessert recipe traditionally made with perfectly ripe and juicy cherries or berries that nestle within a lightly sweetened custard. While it may sound fussy, the custard is super simple to make in the blender and most of the cooking time is hands-off. Our version is elevated with the addition of a splash of Luxardo, a maraschino liqueur that adds a rich depth to the flan-like custard. Make it in a stoneware dish from our Eiffel Tower Collection, and serve warm at the table topped with powdered sugar and fresh cream to bring a touch of Parisian bistro charm to your summer gatherings.
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Peach Galette
A galette is like a pie on vacation: relaxed and a bit spontaneous. It’s more like a freeform tart, and there is no need for blind baking, dealing with double crusts, or any of the other steps that make pies labor-intensive projects. Even easier, this recipe bakes in our Signature Skillet which also doubles as a colorful and beautiful serving dish. Stone fruits work particularly well for galettes, just be sure that your fruit is ripe but still firm so your crust doesn’t get soggy – very ripe fruit is best eaten out of hand outdoors on a hot summer day.
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Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
This is the kind of recipe that is perfect for lazy summer days – these swirled and layered brownie bars look like they took hours to make but the recipe couldn’t be simpler. A fudgy, chocolate brownie layer is topped with a creamy cheesecake-like layer and then swirled with a puree made from the juiciest summer raspberries. The stoneware Heritage Square Baking Dish ensures that each layer is baked to perfection. Even better that the brownies can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge in the dish until ready to serve.
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Blueberry Nectarine Crisp
Crisps, cobblers and the like are some of the most versatile and delicious desserts for summer entertaining. And in late summer when stone fruits are still plentiful and berries are available, the combination of nectarines and blueberries is hard to beat. Make it in the shallow, wide Sauteuse and bring the pot straight from oven to table. Set out some spoons and top with vanilla bean ice cream, and let everyone dig in for easy serving and cleanup. Note that this crisp topping also freezes very well, making it easy to use any time you have beautiful, ripe fruit on hand.
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