Rainy days naturally make you want to stay indoors and bake. Late summer and early monsoon months introduce a great harvest of stone fruits that work perfectly in the oven. Eating a fresh plum is enjoyable on its own. Putting that same fruit in the dry heat of an oven concentrates its natural sugars and softens the flesh into a thick jam. Baking with stone fruits is very forgiving because their natural juices create a rustic look that needs little decoration. Using a reliable Usha OTG gives you the exact temperature control required to ensure pastry bases cook properly without getting soggy from the humid air. Trying these recipes helps you make the most of this short seasonal harvest and upgrades your weekend baking.
Rustic Plum And Thyme Galette
A galette is a freeform tart that takes away the stress of perfectly lining a baking tin. You start by rubbing cold butter into plain flour until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Bind it together with a splash of ice water. Roll the chilled dough out into a rough circle directly onto a sheet of baking parchment. Slice fresh red plums thickly and arrange them in the centre while leaving a wide border all around. Sprinkle the fruit with dark brown sugar and fresh thyme leaves for a subtle herbal flavour. Fold the edges of the pastry over the fruit to create a rustic parcel. Baking this in your countertop oven creates a golden crust that catches all the bubbling fruit juices.
Image credit: Pexels
Spiced Peach And Almond Crumble
A bowl of warm fruit topped with a buttery crumble is deeply comforting on a gloomy day. Peaches reach their peak sweetness during the wet months and their soft flesh breaks down easily when heated. Toss generous wedges of fresh peaches with a pinch of ground ginger and a spoonful of cornflour to thicken the juices. Combine rolled oats, plain flour, brown sugar and a handful of flaked almonds for the topping. Use your fingertips to rub chilled butter into the dry ingredients until large clumps form. Scatter this heavy crumb over your prepared fruit base. The steady heat of the oven toasts the oats and almonds perfectly while the peaches collapse into a sweet compote underneath.
Image credit: Pexels
Classic Cherry Clafoutis
This French dessert sits somewhere between a baked custard and a dense pancake. It is very simple to mix together and highlights the tartness of fresh seasonal cherries well. Pit a large bowl of fresh cherries and scatter them across the bottom of a buttered baking dish. Whisk together eggs, whole milk, caster sugar, plain flour and a drop of almond extract in a separate bowl until the batter is completely smooth. Pour this thin liquid directly over the cherries. The batter puffs up around the fruit and develops a browned edge as it bakes in the dry heat of the oven. Serving this warm dessert with a dusting of icing sugar makes for a great end to a rainy day dinner.
Image credit: Pexels
Apricot And Vanilla Pound Cake
A dense and buttery loaf cake pairs perfectly with a hot cup of tea while you watch the rain. Fresh apricots bring a tartness that balances the rich sweetness of a traditional pound cake batter. You need to start with butter and sugar that are completely at room temperature. Grab your Usha hand mixer to beat the butter and caster sugar together until the mixture turns pale and airy. Add your eggs one at a time and ensure each one is fully mixed before adding the next. Fold in the flour and a splash of vanilla extract gently before pouring the batter into a lined loaf tin. Press halved fresh apricots directly into the top of the batter before baking. The fruit will sink slightly as the cake rises and create pockets of jammy tartness throughout the crumb.
Image credit: Pexels
Nectarine And Blueberry Cobbler
A cobbler offers a fantastic contrast between bubbling fruit and a soft biscuit topping. Nectarines hold their shape remarkably well when baked so they are an excellent choice for this dessert. Slice the nectarines into thick wedges and toss them with a handful of fresh blueberries, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little sugar. Spread this mixture across the base of a deep baking dish. Create a simple biscuit dough by mixing flour, baking powder, sugar and heavy double cream until a shaggy dough forms. Drop large spoonfuls of this dough randomly over the fruit. The oven heat causes the biscuits to expand and soak up the colourful fruit juices from underneath while developing a crisp crust on top.
Image credit: Pexels